


Delinquent and the Songbird, The: A Nishina Rie Route

by Magnus_Prime



Category: Clannad
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-03-29 20:13:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 73,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13934532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnus_Prime/pseuds/Magnus_Prime
Summary: Based on the common route from the Visual Novel 'Clannad'. Figuring that Kotomi's in good hands with the Theater Club, Tomoya finds himself caught up in the life of the Chorus Club.





	1. Chapter 1

**The Delinquent and the Songbird: A Nishina Rie Route  
** _by Magnus Prime_

 

**Chapter One: April 30 (Wed.)**

I thrust my hands into my pockets as I trudged down the hall toward the Theatre Club’s unofficial club room. While I was glad that Furukawa wasn’t going to give up on trying to restart the club, it still pissed me off that the Council wouldn’t acknowledge her club as a real one.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I wasn’t paying attention as I rounded a corner and collided with…something.

“Oof!” a very feminine voice squeaked.

“Oh, sorry; wasn’t paying attention.” I reluctantly pulled a hand out of my pocket and held it out to the girl seated on the floor. I could remember a time when I would have just walked past someone like that, but I could also remember a time when I wouldn’t be heading to a club room of any kind. “You okay?”

She looked up at me, and something about her seemed familiar. “I’m okay. I’m sorry, too; I was lost in thought.” I then saw her eyes widen at the sight of my jacket. “Oh, I’m so sorry, senpai! It’s…It’s all my fault!”

“No, it’s not,” I grunted as I helped her to her feet. “Like I said; I wasn’t paying attention, so it’s my fault, too.”

“Th-Thank you, senpai,” she said with a grateful smile as she dusted herself off.

The question kept bugging me, so… “This is gonna sound weird, but…do I know you?”

She stopped brushing and studied my face. “I don’t think so…wait! You came with Ichinose-senpai yesterday when she borrowed the violin, didn’t you?”

Then it hit me: “You’re from the Choir Club or something like that, aren’t you?”

“I am!” she exclaimed. “My name is Nishina Rie, a second-year here. But…I guess you could figure that out yourself, couldn’t you? Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, trying to be cool about it. “I’m Okazaki Tomoya. Thanks for letting Kotomi-chan borrow the violin.”

“It’s my pleasure,” she said with the sweetest smile I’d ever seen. “Um…if you’ll excuse me…?”

“Sure,” I said, waving a hand. “Sorry for keeping you.”

“H-Have a good day!” she exclaimed with a bow before hurrying past me. I tracked her with my eyes and smirked when I saw her dart into the restroom. No wonder she was distracted.

I snorted with a smile as I turned back to head to the Theatre Club.

***

“Your timing is way off!” I heard Kyou complaining as I slid the door to the clubroom open. “At this rate you’ll never be able to deliver the killer punch line!”

“Onee-chan…” Fujibayashi said with her typical ellipse.

“Kyou-chan, Kotomi-chan’s doing her best,” Furukawa said with her usual timidity as I slid the door closed behind me. “She’s still getting used to being around other people.”

“It is okay, Nagisa-chan,” Kotomi said in her usual breathy voice. “I am not hurt.”

“See? She’s tougher than she looks,” Kyou barked. “Now get over there and work on your comebacks. Hurry! Hurry!” she ordered, clapping her hands in Kotomi’s general direction.

Kotomi nodded once before hustling to the nearby corner and started repeating “What whuzzat?” over and over again.

“Glad to see you have Furukawa’s club under control,” I quipped as I settled into one of the many chairs scattered throughout the room.

“Well somebody has to!” she replied, clearly frustrated. “The club president is nice enough, but ‘nice’ doesn’t have enough backbone to get things done!”

“I’m sorry, Kyou-chan,” Furukawa said sadly.

“Stop apologizing and take charge!” Kyou ordered as she flipped her hair. “I’m glad to help, but I can’t do everything for you.”

“Take it easy, Kyou,” I said carefully. “You’re scaring her.”

“Oh, jeez, everyone’s so timid around here!” she complained. “The president is a mouse and our number one comedienne is a hermit.”

“That could make for an interesting routine,” Fujibayashi said with a giggle.

Practice continued like that for the rest of the club’s time.

***

I shuffled down the hall toward the nearest exit. Since the club had ended for the day, I wanted to get home as soon as possible to get changed and back out before my dad got home.

As I reached out for the door handle, however, I heard…something. It was musical, but not like the violin I had heard a few days ago. No, this was…someone singing? It sounded nice, so I turned from the door and headed back, trying to find the source. My search led me to the Chorus Club room, which made sense when I thought about it. Last I knew, there were at least three members, though; why was I only hearing one voice? Figuring that I wouldn’t find the answer by standing outside the door, I slid it open.

Apparently I surprised whoever was inside, because the sole occupant standing near the window spun toward me as she gasped with her hand on her chest. “Y-You startled me!”

Well, at least I was right. “Sorry,” I said as I entered the room. I left the door open behind me, just in case. “I heard singing and was just curious where it was coming from.”

She gasped again, but differently than the way she had when I’d startled her. “You…heard me?”

“Yeah. I thought it sounded nice, so I was curious,” I said before my brain could tell me to shut up. “You have a nice voice. Sorry I made you stop.”

“I-It’s okay,” she said, then her eyes widened. “A-Aren’t you the one I r-ran into earlier?”

“That’s me,” I said, flopping into a chair. “Okazaki Tomoya.” I didn’t know why I felt the need to tell her my name again; it wasn’t as though she’d care or anything.

“Okazaki-senpai…” she said as she studied me, and it looked like she was trying to memorize me or something.

“Just call me ‘Okazaki’,” I told her. “I’m not big on formalities, and I’m a delinquent, anyway.”

“Would…Would it be okay if I called you ‘Okazaki-senpai’ anyway?” she asked. “My family is big on formalities.”

“Do what you want,” I said noncommittally. It didn’t matter when she called me; it wasn’t like we’d ever see each other again anyway.

“Did…Did you say I had a nice voice?” she asked.

“Huh?” Darn it, I had to think back, something I tried to avoid as much as possible. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

“Would you like to hear me sing some more?”

“Maybe another time,” I said, getting up from my seat; I had to get home to change, and I didn’t want to seem interested; who knew what a girl like her would do with the attention? “Sorry to bother you.”

“It wasn’t a bother, Okazaki-senpai,” she said brightly. “I hope you’ll come listen to me sing another time.”

“Sure,” I said in a deliberately bored tone. “Later.”

***

That night I spent the evening at Sunohara’s dorm room.

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” he remarked as we lay around, reading manga. “Been busy with your new harem?”

“I don’t have a harem,” I grunted, flipping a page. “And the Theater Club’s doing just fine without me.”

“Eeeehhhhhh?” I looked over to see him grinning wickedly at me. “Got blown off by all of them, did you?”

“Shut up,” I hissed, throwing the book I’d been reading at him. “Nobody blew me off; I left by my own choice.”

“Fine, fine,” he said as he tossed the manga back. “So did you skip the club today?”

“Sort of. Did you know that we have a singing club?” I couldn’t remember the club’s official name so I just did my best.

“Huh? Where’d that come from?”

“Just answer the question,” I said, trying to find my place in the book.

He looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “I’ve never heard of it. What do they do?”

I looked at him in disbelief. “They sing, idiot.”

“I mean, are they working to do a concert or something?”

“I dunno,” I admitted. “There’s only three of them, and they’re all second-year girls-” Aw, crap; I cringed at the realization that I had just thrown him some ammo.

“Ah, I get it now; third-years are too old for you, eh?” he asked with a knowing grin. “Your strike zone’s a little…younger?”

“Shut up,” I hissed, throwing his manga at him again.

“Hey! Quit throwing my stuff!” he complained.

“Then quit saying stupid stuff,” I countered as I grabbed a different manga; I figured he wouldn’t return the one I’d been reading this time.

“Well, what am I supposed to think?” he said. “You quit the Theater Club, with its beauties…and Kyou…and join another club with three second-year girls…”

“I didn’t join the club; they loaned Kotomi-chan that violin,” I told him. “It’s not like I’d never met them before.”

“Still sounds like you’re trying to trade up,” he grumbled, “and you didn’t tell your best friend about it.”

“I don’t have a best friend,” I retorted, then hid my smile as he fell off of his bed. “So who would I tell?”

“I was talking about me!” He was nearly in tears at this point.

“All right, all right, I’m sorry,” I said, finally giving in. I smiled as I realized that maybe introducing him to the girls would make for some amusement.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: May 1 (Thu.)**

“Hey, Tomoya.”

I looked up from my lunchtime nap to find Kyou in front of my desk, standing over me. For some reason, she had her fists on her hips. “What?”

She made a show of crossing her arms as she glared at me. “You’re coming, right?”

“Coming?” I grunted sleepily. “To what?”

Kyou rolled her eyes as she sighed melodramatically. “To the recital, of course!”

“What recital?”

“Are you playing dumb, now?”

“No, I’m playing ‘I really don’t know what you’re talking about’,” I grunted again, laying my head back on my desk. “If you’re not going to tell me what’s going on, then go away; I’m recovering from my new sleep schedule.”

“I’m talking about Kotomi’s violin recital,” I heard her exasperated voice above me.

My eyes snapped open. “R-Recital?” I asked, quickly moving my gaze up to hers. “She’s having a recital today?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot,” she said, then gave me a knowing smile. “She’s been practicing hard, you know?”

“I didn’t forget,” I said, sitting up fully. “I didn’t know in the first place!”

“Well, it’s today, after school, make sure to bring ear plugs.” With a flip of her hair, she left without waiting for a response.

I groaned as I flopped over my desk. My ears still itched from Kotomi’s sonic assault from before…

***

“Ah, Okazaki-senpai.”

I snapped out of whatever I’d been thinking about to find the head of the Singing Club walking toward me as I headed for the school’s courtyard and the end of my eardrums. First my shoulder, and now my ears? Life could be so unfair. “Hey, Nishina; heading to club?”

“I am!” she exclaimed as she stopped in front of me, clasping her hands in front of her chest. “Will…Will you be coming today?”

“Sorry, can’t,” I grunted. Why was I sorry? “I’m supposed to go listen to Kotomi-chan’s recital…by the way, do you have any earplugs I could borrow?”

She hid her giggle behind her hand. “S-Sorry, I don’t. You said that Ichinose-senpai will be playing?”

“Yup,” I said, then had an idea; what if I went to the Singing Club’s room, then told Kyou that I was needed, and-

“Would it be okay if we came along?”

“’We’?”

“The Chorus Club,” she said with an awkward smile. “I’m sure Ichinose-senpai’s been practicing a lot, and I know I’d like to hear how much she’s improved.”

“Um…I’m sure it’d be fine.” Well, that ruled out hiding in the Chorus Club’s room. At least I got the right name. “I don’t know how much she’s improved, though; I haven’t heard her practice.”

“I’m sure she’ll do wonderfully,” Nishina said, clasping her hands again. “After all, she’s so amazing…I’m sure she’s just a little rusty.”

“Sounds like she scraped most of it off the other day,” I grumbled, still annoyed at the loss of the use of the Chorus Club’s room. “Anyway, she’d probably love to have you there; you loaned her the thing in the first place.”

“Great!” she said, clapping. “I’ll go get the others and meet you there!”

“Do what you want,” I mumbled as she ran off. “Wait…meet me there?!”

***

I made sure to sit as far back as I could while still being close enough to avoid Kyou’s glare. I wasn’t sure that she would have noticed anyway, since she was so busy with the guys in front of me. I figured she had strong-armed them into coming and, from the way they were talking, I was probably right:

“What are you here for?”

“I only ditched cleaning the class two days ago…”

“I just forgot about the printouts from the guidance counselor. Why am I even here…?”

“I’m here for eating lunch early in class about six months ago.”

“You weren’t even in the same class as the class rep last year…”

“She said a crime is still a crime…”

So that was it; she’d used their past ‘crimes’ against them to give Kotomi an audience. While on the one hand I admired her resourcefulness, I also found myself feeling sorry for them; after all, the punishment could be considered pretty excessive compared to the crimes in this case.

“Okazaki-senpai!” I shook myself from my musings to see Nishina heading toward me. With her were the other two girls from the Chorus Club.

I couldn’t remember either of their names, so I simply waved politely. “Hey.”

“I was afraid we’d be late!” she said as she settled down next to me. On her other side, the girl with short brown hair gave me a suspicious look as she and the other girl sat down as well.

“Nope, you’re just in time!” Kyou chirped as she walked up to us. Kneeling down, she gave us a conspiratorial grin. “Earplugs? 300 yen.”

“That bad, huh?” I said, then noticed that Furukawa and Fujibayashi were cringing as they stood on either side of Kotomi. “You sure you don’t have any?” I asked Nishina half-jokingly.

“S-Sorry…” she said, looking anxiously at Kyou.

I sighed as I pulled out my wallet; all I had were a thousand yen. “All right, Kyou; I’ll take three pair,” I muttered as I handed her the bill.

“Her playing isn’t that bad, Tomoya,” Kyou said. “One pair should be enough.”

“They’re not for me,” I said, indicating my seatmates. “They’re for them.”

“You can’t!” I jumped and glanced over at Nishina; she and her friends were quickly pulling out small coin purses. “We…We can get our own.”

“Thank you for thinking of us, senpai,” the non-suspicious club member said in a really quiet voice. When I looked over she quickly looked away, but her face was definitely red.

“Well, Tomoya?” Kyou asked, waving a packet before my eyes. “What about you?”

I sighed again as I pocketed my wallet. “This has to last me until next week. I’ll…take my chances.”

“Okay,” she replied in a singsong tone. “But once the recital starts it becomes a seller’s market.”

“I’ll take my chances,” I said again, though I was starting to have my doubts.

A few minutes later, Kyou stood in front of the group and clapped her hands. “Now, let’s start! Everyone, give a round of applause!”

We clapped, but it seemed kinda…lifeless. Well, except for Nishina; she nearly had stars in her eyes as she clapped loudly.

“What’s with that weak applause?” Kyou snapped. “Louder!”

The second time was a bit better.

Our hostess looked around with disgust. “You don’t seem to understand, so I’ll explain it to you: the earplugs are your final weapons! Cowards who use them right away will be punished later.”

Immediately, several members of the audience removed the earplugs from their ears as Kyou moved to sit next to me, on the other side from Nishina.

Kotomi took her place in front of the group. “I…I am Ichinose Kotomi. Um… Today is my…” Without another word, she quickly lifted the violin to her cheek…

*Screeeech*

She played a simple melody kinda like a children’s song. At least she sounded better then when she first borrowed the violin. Most of it was pretty good, even though she’d still saw the instrument every few notes.

*Brrrriing* *Screeeeeecch* *Twing*

I saw her sigh as she lowered the violin and I raised my hands to clap, assuming the song was done. My suspicions were confirmed when Kyou suddenly bellowed, “Now, applause!”

As we clapped, I turned toward Nishina and spoke to her in a quiet tone. “She’s definitely better, but still not great.”

“I agree,” she said just as quietly. “She’s still putting too much strength into it.”

“I noticed that, too,” I replied, feeling the need to say something.

“This is my second song,” Kotomi announced as the applause died down.

*Brrrriing* *Screecch* *Swiiiiiiiiiirrr*

Wait a minute: ‘Swir’?

***

“Now, applause!” Kyou yelled, nearly causing me to jump out of my skin.

I managed to applaud along with the others as I tried to calm my nerves, though my face still heated up at the sound of the Chorus Club laughing at my discomfort.

Kotomi then introduced Furukawa and Fujibayashi as her ‘special guests’, playing the castanets and the triangle, respectively. We clapped again on Drill Sergeant Kyou’s command, and the trio began playing…something. Music? I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was something modern?

Kotomi introduced the last song. “This is my favorite one. Please enjoy.” She then closed her eyes and readied the violin.

My eyes bugged out as the bow touched the strings; instead of the coughing and screeching, I heard…music. I barely glanced over at Nishina’s gasp, as caught up in the tune as I was. The violin seemed like an extension of Kotomi as the bow moved up and down as though chasing the notes.

The music was simple, yet warm, and I clasped my hands behind my head as I lay back on the warm grass…

***

I opened my eyes to blue sky, and…

“You must have really liked that last piece, Okazaki-senpai,” I heard Nishina say with a giggle.

“I guess so,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes as I sat up to find myself the center of attention.

“Good morning, Tomoya-kun,” Kotomi greeted, her face suddenly inches from mine.

“I’m surprised you could sleep through the noise,” Kyou remarked with a disgusted look.

“Was I asleep? I…only meant to close my eyes for a few seconds. I guess I must have felt comforted by it somehow.”

Kyou turned to address Kotomi’s sidekicks. “Just so you know, that performance by you two is out of the question.”

I couldn’t understand what Furukawa and Fujibayashi said from my place on the ground, but their tones sounded apologetic.

“I also need to practice more,” Kotomi said, and raised the violin to her shoulder, only for it to fall from her hand. Fortunately, she was standing over me, so I was able to catch it before it fell into my lap instead of the ground or, worse, the pavement.

“Let me see your hand,” Kyou ordered, taking Kotomi by the wrist; sure enough, her hand was swollen. “Let’s get you to the nurse’s office.” I started to get up to follow them, but she stopped me with her eyes. “You can stay,” she said, looking over at Nishina and the others with a look of…annoyance? “You’ve got your hands full, anyway.”

As the group left I suddenly felt self-conscious, and looked over to see the members of the Chorus Club watching me with concerned expressions. “What? Why’re you staring at me?”

“Did…Did we do something wrong, senpai?” Nishina asked hesitantly.

I looked back to see Kyou and the others taking Kotomi back to the school. “I don’t…I don’t think so…”


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: May 2 (Fri.)**

“Hey, Okazaki.”

I looked up from my lunchtime nap to find Kyou in front of my desk, standing over me. Only…her hair was the wrong color, not to mention the wrong length. She was calling me by the wrong name, too. “Huh?”

She made a show of crossing her arms as she glared at me. “What are your intentions toward Rie-chan?”

“Rie-chan?” I blinked to clear my vision to find a second-year girl with short brown hair standing before me. I recognized her even though I still didn’t know her name, but her glare told me that it was the wrong time to ask. “What about her?”

“She asked me to invite you to lunch, but I want to know what your intentions are toward her,” she asked, her voice near a growl.

“I don’t have any intentions toward her,” I said carefully, all of my safety alarms going off. “I just said that she had a nice voice, that’s all. I didn’t know she would run with it.”

“Nice voice, huh…?” She pushed her lips to one side as she studied me. Finally, she sighed with a shake of her head. “All right, that does sound like something she’d do.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as I started to put my head back down on my desk. “Glad I could help clear that up.”

“So…are you coming to lunch?”

My head snapped back up. “Lunch?”

“Yeah, you know; that meal that we have in the middle of the day?”

Geez, this girl was a pain in the butt. “I know what it is; I just wasn’t sure I heard you right.”

She sighed again, more melodramatically this time. “Rie-chan asked me to invite you to lunch, but if we stand here yapping about it we’ll miss it.”

I decided that arguing with the Kyou-like second-year was a bad idea, so I hurried to my feet. “Okay, but I’ll need to stop by the cafeteria.”

“Don’t bother,” she said, shoving a cafeteria bag into my chest. “I bought you anpan; you seem like the type who’d like that. You can pay me back later.”

“S-Sure,” I stammered, surprised by her…kindness? “By any chance, are you related to Fujibayashi Kyou?”

“Who?” she asked, then waved her hands. “Never mind. Let’s go; you can ask me again later.” She grabbed my arm and started to pull me toward the classroom door; I could feel everyone’s eyes on me as we left.

When we got out to the hallway, I shook my arm from her grip. “Leggo, I can follow you. We’re going to the club room, right?”

“The Chorus Club room,” she corrected. “Just to make sure you don’t go to the wrong club.”

Something about her tone bugged me. “Do you have a problem with the Theater Club or something?”

“No,” she said, sending her hair waving with the shake of her head. “I just figured that you were so used to going there that you’d try to go there automatically.”

“Oh.” That made sense; I did tend to go from place to place on auto-pilot, and the Theater and Chorus Clubs were close to each other. “Thanks.”

She ‘humphed’ with a small smile as she pushed the door open to head over to the old school building.

***

“Ah! Okazaki-senpai! Thank you for coming!” Nishina greeted, getting up from her seat as I followed ‘Second-Year-Kyou’ into the clubroom.

“Sure,” I said before deciding to be more polite. “Um…thank you for inviting me?”

“Won’t you have a seat?” She pointed to a group of four desks, arranged in a square.

“Um, thanks?” I figured out which one was mine and set my lunch on it before settling into my seat.

“So, do you like music?” Nishina asked after we all started on our lunches.

“Sure,” I said. “Who doesn’t?”

“What style do you like?” the non-Nishina, non-Kyou girl asked. “I like classical.”

“J-Pop,” ‘Second-Year-Kyou’ said.

I thought about the question while I worked on a bite. “I guess I’d have to say I like what I like,” I replied with a shrug. “If I hear a song and like it, then I like it; it doesn’t matter what ‘style’ it is.”

“That’s…a good answer,” ‘Second-Year-Kyou’ said, apparently impressed. “I’d never really thought of it that way. I guess I don’t like all J-Pop, just a lot of it.”

“Yeah…” Nishina murmured. “I like classical like Harada-chan, but I don’t like all classical music.”

“Harada-chan?” I asked. “Who’s that?”

“You’re eating with us but you don’t even know our names?” ‘Second-Year-Kyou’ asked with a surprised look.

“You never told me, and I never thought I’d be hanging out with you like this,” I admitted before turning to the blue-haired girl next to me. “I remember that your last name is Nishina, though.”

“Oh! You’re right, I never did introduce you!” Nishina exclaimed. “Okay, so…Okazaki-senpai, this…” she said, gesturing to ‘Second-Year-Kyou’, “…is Sugisaka-chan, and this is Harada-chan.”

“Nice to meet you, Okazaki-senpai,” Harada said, this time so quietly I could barely hear her.

“Uh…Nice to meet you, H-Harada-chan,” I replied. I wasn’t sure if she was a stickler for honorifics, but I didn’t want to risk upsetting her with Sugisaka sitting right there. “You too, Sugisaka.”

“So I’m an afterthought?” she huffed.

“I had to greet someone first, and she greeted me before you did, okay?” I said, exasperated.

“Suuure,” she grinned, and I sighed at the realization that she had been yanking my chain.

“Sugisaka-chan!” Nishina scolded. “He’s our guest and our senior!”

“Sorry, senpai,” the short-haired girl said, her expression anything but sorry.

Wanting to change the subject, I sent a glance to the blue-haired girl next to me. “Hey, uh, Nishina?” I started, unsure of how to ask my question. “I’m…I mean, I’m glad you invited me to lunch, but…why? We hardly know each other.”

She said nothing, but looked down at her meal, red-faced.

Unsurprisingly, Sugisaka answered for her. “Other than the two of us, you’re the only one who’s said anything nice about Rie-chan’s singing.”

“Seriously?” I said, turning fully toward my seatmate. “What about your family?” When her expression turned from embarrassed to shocked, I realized I had screwed up. “Y-You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to!”

“That’s enough questions for now,” Sugisaka declared, though in a subdued tone.

“Sure…” I said as I studied Nishina’s face. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, senpai,” she said. “I know you meant well.”

For the next few minutes I focused on my anpan while I tried to think of how I had messed up. Was she on bad terms with her family or something? That would explain why she reacted the way she did.

My musings were interrupted by a knock at the clubroom door, and I looked up to see Sugisaka heading over to answer it. “Yes? Oh, Ichinose-senpai!”

I felt the blood drain from my face as Kotomi entered, followed by Kyou, Fujibayashi, and Furukawa. “I am here to return the violin.” She then seemed to notice me and smiled brightly. “Ah, Tomoya-kun.”

“Hey, Kotomi-chan,” I greeted, raising a hand.

“So, how was it?’ Nishina asked as she headed over to the group.

Kotomi eyes lost focus for a moment, then: “It was very, very…very fun.”

I could have been wrong, but it looked like she was holding herself back.

“Um…” Nishina said, clasping her hands in front of her. “If you’d like, I could ask if you can borrow it a little longer.”

“It is not mine,” Kotomi said, shaking her head as she handed it over. “But this violin…It is a bit old and the strings are worn out. The sound post is slightly off-center, but…but it is a very wonderful violin. It was really fun to play. So…please do not throw it away…please,” she finished, bowing deeply.

“I was going to say the same thing,” Nishina said softly.

Kyou stepped up next to Kotomi, who looked like she was going to cry, and rested her hand on her shoulder. “Thanks for everything,” she said.

“It was no problem,” Nishina replied with a gentle smile.

Struck by a bout of inspiration, I called out, “Hey, Kotomi.” After getting her attention, I glanced over at the Chorus Club girls, then back at her.

Apparently she understood, because she turned fully toward Nishina. “Hello. Nice to meet you. I am Ichinose Kotomi from Class 3-A. My hobby is reading. If it is all right with you, will you please be my friend?” she finished with another bow.

Nishina glanced at me before smiling as she turned back to Kotomi. “Sure! My name is Nishina Rie. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”

As she turned to leave, Kotomi looked at me again, and I could see the unmistakable sign of sadness behind her smile. “Tomoya-kun…see you later.” She then let Kyou lead her out the door, Sugisaka sliding it shut behind them.

“What a nice girl,” Nishina said softly as she carefully leaned the violin case against the wall. “I wish she had taken it with her again; she really seemed to want it.”

“She’s a little…odd,” I said, “but yeah, she’s pretty neat.”

Sugisaka slid back into the seat across from me with a sly grin. “’Tomoya-kun’? What’s up with that?”

“I dunno,” I said, trying to hide a blush. “She’s called me that since she first learned my name.”

“Maybe I should start calling you ‘Tomoya-kun’,” Sugisaka said, grin still in place.

“Please don’t; I’d like to graduate from grade school someday.”

She snorted into a laugh. “All right, I’ll stop teasing you…for now.”

“Sugi-chan!” Nishina scolded. “He’s our guest and our senior!”

“But this is too perfect!” Sugisaka countered. “We’ve got dirt on a senior!”

“You might want to rethink that, ‘Sugi-chan’,” I said, grinning slyly myself as she paled.

“Um…truce?” she finally offered.

“Sure.”

I never did get the chance to ask if she was related to Kyou.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: May 3 (Sat.)**

I woke to sunlight streaming through my window and groaned as I rolled over to check the time: 7:30. “Great, and this was supposed to be my day to sleep in…”

I was too awake to be able to go back to sleep, so I reluctantly got up and dressed and ate breakfast. Dad had already left, which left me in charge of the home. So, of course, I decided to go out.

I spent most of the morning checking out the shops near the train station. Normally on days like this I’d head over to Sunohara’s to annoy him, but…I really didn’t feel normal any more. Well, not ‘before’s’ normal. Whatever.

I was peeking through the front window of an electronics shop when a voice from behind startled me. “Okazaki…senpai…?” I turned, half expecting to see Nishina, but instead there stood…’Harada’ was her name if I remembered correctly. “I was right…”

“Morning, Harada,” I greeted. “Didn’t expect to run into you today.”

“Nor I you,” she replied, unknowingly confirming her name for me. “I guess if we didn’t know each other, we would just walk past each other, never being aware of the other, huh?”

It was still early, but I mulled over her statement. It made sense; if I wrecked my bike, I’d be more aware of other bikes in general. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“What are you doing?” she asked with an expression of genuine curiosity.

“Just killing time,” I said. “I used to sleep in on days like this, but…well, not anymore.”

She hid a giggle behind her hand. “Well, if you’re not busy, would you be willing to help me?”

I felt a twinge; I knew I was a sucker for the ‘help me’ request, especially from girls. “Sure, but…are you going to be okay with me? I mean, you don’t know me that well.”

“Rie-chan trusts you, so…so do I.”

“It’s good to have friends in high places, I guess,” I quipped, drawing another giggle from her. In some ways, she reminded me of Fujibayashi, and I found myself wondering if there was a ‘First-Year Fujibayashi’ as well; If there was a ‘First-Year Kyou’, I’d want to avoid her like the plague, of course. “So…where are you dragging me?”

I was relieved when she giggled again; I was glad to know she understood my sense of humor, at least. “Just to the markets; Mama asked me to pick up a few things for dinner tonight, but…I’m not the strongest.”

“That’s what Sakagami’s for,” I said, remembering the silver-haired girl.

“I’d heard about her,” she said as we started to walk. “Is it true that she beat up two delinquents from the industrial school a few weeks ago?”

“You didn’t see it?” I asked, amazed. “I thought the school would tip over with how many kids were on the one side, watching her.”

 “S-Senpai…” she giggled again. “You’re so funny. I can see why Rie-chan likes you.”

“I-I’m nobody special,” I grunted as I stretched my arms over my head, uncomfortable with her comment about Nishina. “And I still don’t get why she’s all starry-eyed over one compliment.”

An extra-long silence drew my gaze over to her as Harada stared at the ground ahead of us. “She’s…”

“If she doesn’t get along with her parents, I can relate,” I said carefully, thinking back to her reaction to my earlier ‘family’ comment. “My dad and I haven’t gotten along for years.”

“It’s not my place to say,” she replied quietly. “Just…be nice to her, okay?”

“S-Sure, no problem,” I said, starting to wonder what I was getting myself into.

***

Shopping turned out to be not as bad as I thought, and I found myself wondering if I’d really been needed at all.

“Thank you so much, Okazaki-senpai,” Harada said, bowing before accepting all three bags from me. “I can make it from here.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “I don’t mind carrying them to your hou-ah, I think I understand.”

She ducked her head meekly. “I don’t want Daddy thinking that I’m bringing boys home.”

“No problem,” I replied. “I wouldn’t want him thinking that, either.”

“See you later!” She bowed again before hurrying down a nearby street. I was tempted to follow her just to tease her, but I didn’t know how she would take it, and I really didn’t want a visit from the police. Or Sugisaka. So I started back toward the station.

“So, you’re expanding your tastes, eh?”

I sighed as I looked to the source of the voice to find Kyou, with Fujibayashi half-hiding behind her. “Hello Kyou, hello Fujibayashi.”

“Good afternoon, Okazaki-kun.”

I waited for Kyou to say something more. When the wait grew uncomfortable, I shrugged as I turned back to head to the station. “Well, enjoy the rest of your vacation. See you.”

“What about Kotomi?”

I stopped at her words. “What about Kotomi?”

Kyou shrugged, her hands up to her shoulders. “Are you just abandoning Kotomi, then? After all you’ve been through together?”

“What more is there?” I asked, starting to become irritated. “She needed to get out and make friends and I helped her do that. She has both of you and Furukawa…Nishina and the others, too. What more does she need from me?”

Kyou stared at me for an uncomfortably long time. Finally, she shook her head. “You are such an idiot.”

“I know that,” I said. “Look, you sound like you’re trying to make a point or something, so either make it or I’m leaving.”

“Okazaki-kun…?”

I crossed my arms and inclined my head, hoping to show that I was willing to listen.

Kyou finally did something; she chuckled humorlessly. “Fine, you idiot. Hope you have a fun weekend.” Still shaking her head, she walked away, with Fujibayashi glancing back at me repeatedly as she followed.

I snorted with a shake of my own head as I started back toward the station, for real this time.

***

“SUNOHARA!” I yelled, slamming the door to his dorm room open.

“AAAUGH!!” he cried as he flew out of his bed. “WHAT! What happened?”

“Nothing,” I said nonchalantly as I plopped down on his floor and grabbed the manga I’d been reading the last time.

“You almost scared me to death!” he moaned while sitting cross-legged on the floor next to his bed. From that fact that he was wearing a t-shirt and undershorts – his usual sleeping attire – in the late afternoon, he’d probably been sleeping all day…just what I had planned to do myself. “Can’t a guy get a decent day’s sleep around here?”

“Nope,” I said, flipping through the manga until I found where I’d left off. “Don’t worry; I’ll only stay here until I finish this volume. I ran out of stuff to do and remembered that I hadn’t finished this.”

“Gee, thanks,” he said sarcastically as he pulled his clothes on over his sleepwear. “What time is it, anyway?”

I glanced up at the clock mounted on his wall. “According to your clock, it’s ten minutes to either midnight or noon.”

“Seriously? Lunchtime then,” he grinned, rubbing his hand together. “Wanna go to the school to eat? I heard that the cafeteria’s open today.”

“No thanks,” I said, flipping a page. “I had lunch already…about three hours ago, in fact.”

“That’s an early lunch.”

“Or your battery’s dead, moron,” I quipped.

He grabbed his watch from his nightstand and checked it, then looked at his clock. “Dammit, you’re right,” he grumbled. “I missed lunch.”

“There’s always dinner,” I offered helpfully as I flipped another page. “I hear the noodle cups from the convenience store are good.”

“But I have those every day!” he complained again.

“Sheesh, sorry I can’t solve all your problems,” I said before focusing completely on the manga. While I worked on my serious reading, he grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom. A few minutes later I finished the manga, so I left it on his bed over a half-eaten sandwich I’d found. I hadn’t touched the sandwich with my hands, of course; that’s what his clean shirts were for.

I smiled to myself as I left his room and waited. A couple of minutes later I heard, _“Hey, that’s cool, he left it on my-GROSS!”_

After all was said and done, I had a good day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: May 5 (Mon.)**

I stood before the gates to the school, shaking my head. Sunday had been uneventful, and I had become so used to going to school on Mondays that I found myself getting dressed in my uniform and heading out the door before I realized what I was doing.

“Oh, well,” I sighed as I headed through the gates onto the school grounds. I made my way over to the old school building, headed through the doors and up the stairs, and down the now-familiar hall toward the Chorus Club room.

Wait…why the Chorus Club room? Whatever…I could sleep there if no one was there already. With this firmly in mind, I slid the door to the clubroom open.

Fortunately the place was empty, and I quickly found a desk to settle into and flop over for some sleep; the only problem was, I couldn’t sleep. No matter how I twisted and turned, I just couldn’t find a comfortable position, which told me that I’d gotten enough sleep last night. I’d briefly considered uttering an expletive when the door slid open again, revealing all of the Chorus Club members. “Ah! Okazaki-senpai” Nishina greeted. “Welcome!”

“Shouldn’t I be welcoming you?” I asked with a tired smile. “After all, I was here first.”

“That’s true,” she admitted with an embarrassed smile.

“So are you going to welcome us or not?” Sugisaka demanded with her typical irritated look.

“Sure,” I said, getting to my feet. “Welcome Nishina, Harada, Sugisaka.”

“You greeted me last again,” she complained.

“Oh, good grief,” I huffed, flopping back into the desk. “Anyway...What are you doing here? It’s still the holiday weekend.”

“We could ask you the same thing,” Sugisaka pointed out.

“But I asked you first,” I counterpointed out.

“P-Please…don’t fight,” Harada said in what almost sounded like a begging tone. “I don’t want our day to start with fighting.”

“We’re here to practice, of course,” Nishina replied. “But if we’re disturbing you, we can go somewhere else.”

“Are you serious, Rie-chan?” Sugisaka asked, dumbfounded. “This is our club room.”

"But-"

“She’s right,” I said, getting to my feet again and heading toward the door. “I’m the outsider here; I’ll find somewhere else to hang out. I’m just here ‘cause I’m used to being here on Mondays, anyway.”

“Wait!” I heard Nishina call out. When I turned to her, she was tapping at the floor with her toe. “Since you’re here…would you be willing to listen to us sing?”

“Rie!” Sugisaka exclaimed. “I’m not singing in front of him!”

“Why not?” Harada asked. “We’ve been needing an audience to help us work on our nerves.”

“That’s right,” Nishina agreed. “Oh, can’t he stay, please?”

It was weird watching the exchange; it was like two kids asking their mother to let a friend stay overnight. “It’s fine,” I said, trying to defuse the situation. “If I make her uncomfortable, I’ll leave.”

“Wait!” Nishina called out again.

“What?” I said. “If she doesn’t want me here, then I shouldn’t be here. It’s your club, after all.”

“I know, but…” she turned to Sugisaka again. “Please?”

The brown-haired girl looked from her friend to me and sighed. “Fine. We do need to practice with an audience; I suppose you’ll do.”

“Sugi-chan!” Nishina said in a scolding tone. “He’s a guest, and-”

“’Our senior’,” Sugisaka finished. “I know. Can we get to practicing now? That’s what we came here for, right?”

With that settled, the girls set whatever bags and books they had brought against the wall under the chalkboard and pulled out several sheets of paper – sheet music, I assumed.

“If you would sit over there, please,” Nishina said, pointing to a chair placed to one side of the room. While I made my way over, they moved to the middle of the room and stood shoulder-to-shoulder. Nishina stood in the middle, while Sugisaka stood to her right and Harada to her left.

“Okay, I’m sitting,” I said from my place in the chair.

All three of them cleared their throats as they looked at each other. Then one of them hummed a note, and the others hummed it with her. I assumed that they were warming up, so I kept quiet.

Their start was a little hesitant, but by the time they got to what sounded like the second line of their song, they sounded…amazing. They weren’t all singing the main part; one of them sang that, but the others sang other notes that sounded really good. I didn’t recognize the song, but I could tell that all three of them really enjoyed singing it, if the expressions of their faces were any indication.

I was so caught up in their singing that it took me several seconds to realize when they’d finished. “Uh…cool! Really cool,” I said somewhat lamely as I clapped.

“It’s okay; we were terrible, weren’t we?” Nishina said shyly.

“Speak for yourself,” Sugisaka retorted, earning a dirty look from the club leader.

“You can be honest with us, Okazaki-senpai,” Harada said softly as she hid behind her sheet. “Just…be gentle…please?”

“I’ll do my best,” I mumbled. “Um…well? I liked it…”

“Anything else?” Nishina prompted.

I crossed my arms as I sighed. “What can I say? I’m not a music expert, but…I liked how you all sang different notes. I could tell the main part of the song-”

“Do you mean the melody?” Harada suggested.

“Yeah, that’s it,” I said, gesturing toward her. “You didn’t all sing the melody; it sounded kinda like when a guy plays a bunch of strings on a guitar at once.”

“A chord?” Sugisaka said, and I could tell from her expression that she had me pegged as the musical idiot that I was. “Rie-chan sang the melody while Harada-chan and I harmonized with her.”

“Harmonized…” I mused; if was going to help them I needed to learn more about music-wait, when did I say I was going to help them? I smiled humorlessly. “I think I just got roped in again.”

“S-Senpai…?” I glanced up to see Nishina with a worried look.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Looks like I’m going to need the three of you to teach me about music if I’m going to be able to help you.”

Something about the relieved look on the club president’s face warmed my heart.

***

After spending the morning listening to them practice (while learning as much as I could about the mechanics behind music) we left the school grounds to have ice cream.

“Thank you for helping us, senpai,” Harada said as we ate our ice cream cones.

“I’m not sure how much help I was, but…you’re welcome, I guess,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “Thanks for teaching me all that stuff; I never knew there was so much to music.”

“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Nishina said from behind her vanilla cone. “All the parts work together to create beautiful music.”

“It is pretty neat,” I admitted. “I won’t be able to listen to music the same way again.”

“Huh,” Sugisaka grunted as she stared at me with an amused look.

“What?”

“I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks,” she said with a smirk.

“Sugi-chan!” Nishina said. “Be nice to him! He’s doing his best to help us!”

“He’s only a year older than us, anyway,” Harada added.

“It’s just that he’s so much fun to tease!” Sugisaka pouted.

“I’m sorry, Okazaki-senpai,” Nishina said. “Sugi-chan’s rough around the edges, but she really is a nice girl.”

“I believe you,” I replied. “She reminds me of Kyou; she’s pretty mean to me, but she really is a kind girl…from what others tell me, at least.”

“H-Hey!”

“Okazaki-senpai…If…” Harada seemed uncomfortable with what she was about to say. “…if you don’t mind…what’s your first name?”

“May I?” Nishina asked as I opened my mouth. I simply shrugged, and she turned to her friends with a smile. “His name is Okazaki Tomoya.” She looked over at me, apparently to confirm her memory, so I nodded. “And I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now, senpai, but my first name’s ‘Rie’.”

“And mine’s ‘Nao’,” Harada added.

We all then looked to Sugisaka. “What?” she said. “He doesn’t need to know my name.”

“Oh, come on,” Harada pressed.

“Why do you have to be so difficult?” Nishina added.

Sugisaka simply crossed her arms as she looked away.

“Look girls, it’s fine,” I said, trying to defuse the situation. “If she doesn’t want me to know her first name, I can live with that. I’ll respect her privacy.”

“Amane.”

We looked to Sugisaka again. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Nishina asked.

Sugisaka made a point of looking at me. “My first name is ‘Amane’.”

“Sugisaka Amane-chan.” I mulled this over. “That’s a neat name; I could see it coming in handy if you have younger siblings.”

“What do you mean?” she asked suspiciously.

“Ama-nee-chan,” I said with an impish smile.

She puffed up her cheeks, but couldn’t hold it for long as she burst into giggles. “You’re right, senpai; that would work.”

I wasn’t finished, yet. “Sugisaka? Thank you for trusting me with your first name.”

“Y-You’re welcome,” she said with a light blush. “Y-You know what? You’re all right, Okazaki.”

At least I’d taken a step in the right direction, for once.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: May 6 (Tue.)**

I came across a surprise on the way to school: “Hey, Okazaki.”

I looked to my side to find Sugisaka walking next to me. “Morning, Sugisaka.”

“Fancy meeting you here.”

I thought back to my Saturday conversation with Harada. “Maybe it’s just because we never noticed each other before. I mean, we recognize each other now, right?”

“Yeah, you’re probably righ-hey, you heard that from Harada, didn’t you?”

“Yup,” I admitted.

“Yeah, me too.” I felt her gaze on me and looked over to see her giving me an impish grin. “So even you can learn stuff, huh?”

“Of course,” I replied, not taking the bait. “What, did you think I knew everything already?”

“O-Of course not!” she stammered, but was otherwise quiet the rest of the way to school.

***

As had become my usual routine, I met up with the Chorus Club members in their clubroom for lunch.

“So, how was everyone’s weekend?” Nishina asked as we ate. “Other than yesterday, of course.”

“Pretty good,” Sugisaka replied before any of us could respond. “I got caught up on my math homework.”

“That’s been giving you a lot of trouble, hasn’t it?” Nishina said, to which Sugisaka nodded. “Then I’m glad to hear that. What about you, Nao-chan?”

“I just helped out around the house and read in my room,” Harada said quietly.

“How about you, Okazaki-senpai?”

“Pretty good,” I said, before giving in to my urge to tease someone. “I helped a really cute girl with her grocery shopping on Saturday.”

“S-Senpai!” Harada squeaked before covering her face.

The other girls’ gazes shifted between the two of us. Finally, Nishina spoke: “You two were together on Saturday?”

“Sort of,” I said. “I was wandering around the shops when she found me.”

“I asked him to help me with the grocery shopping, and he agreed,” Harada said timidly, peeking between her fingers.

“Way to step up and be a man!” Sugisaka said, clapping me on the shoulder – my good one, fortunately.

“I was very grateful,” Harada whispered.

Nishina opened her mouth, only to be interrupted by someone knocking at the door. “I’m coming!” she called as she got to her feet. She slid the door open, and... “Ichinose-senpai! Are you here to borrow the violin again? I’m sorry; I haven’t checked with its owner yet.”

“I-Is Tomoya-kun here?”

“Kotomi-chan?” I brushed my hands against my pant legs, ignoring Sugisaka’s smug grin as I got up and headed over to the door. “What’s up?”

Her gaze darted between me and Nishina, who was standing there with me. “Can…May…May I speak with you?”

“Sure,” I said. “What’s up?”

Her gaze darted between the two of us again. “In…In private?”

I looked over to Nishina, who gave me a small smile. “I’ll be back in a bit,” I told her. “I haven’t teased Sugisaka yet.”

“Hey!”

“Okay,” she said quietly. Turning to Kotomi she said, “It’s good to see you again, Ichinose-senpai. I’ll make sure to check about the violin, then let you know.”

“Okay,” Kotomi said, bowing. “Th-Thank you.”

“’Scuse me,” I said as I ducked through the door, Nishina closing it behind me. “What’s up?” I repeated, hopefully for the last time.

“Would…Would you follow me, please?” Kotomi said before leading me down the hallway – away from the Theater Club room, I noticed.

We didn’t go very far; apparently she just wanted some privacy. “You okay?” I asked. “You look nervous.”

“I…I-I am,” she admitted. “I have…missed you at club practice.”

“Hey, thanks,” I said, feeling a warmth in my chest. “How are things going, by the way? Kyou’s not giving you too much trouble, I hope.”

Her pigtails wobbled with the shake of her head. “Not at all. Everyone is so wonderful and we are having so much fun, but…”

I knew what she was talking about. “Look, I’m happy that you miss me, but I don’t want you to be dependent on me for making friends. Just start with Kyou and the others, and they’ll introduce you to other people. If you rely on me too much, you’ll end up lonely.”

“T-Tomoya-kun? Are…Are you free on Saturday?”

“Huh?” Where had that come from? “Saturday?”

She nodded solemnly. “Are…Are you free on Saturday?”

I thought for a moment. “Well, I don’t have anything planned, if that’s what you’re asking.”

I watched as she closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling several times. Finally, she opened her eyes again. “Um… if it is all right with you… I want the two of us to go somewhere on Saturday.”

“Wh-What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. How could Kotomi, a shut-in library girl, be so outgoing?

She gave me a look of concern. “Um… In layman’s terms, I am asking you out on a date. In archaic terms, it is a ‘tryst’. In French, it is a ‘rendezvous’. In Italian, it is-”

“I don’t need the translations, thank you,” I said, waving my hands. “I know what you mean.”

“Oh, okay. That is good,” she said with a relieved sigh. “So, are you…busy?”

“I’m pretty sure I just told you that I don’t have anything planned.”

“Oh, okay. That is good,” she repeated with another relieved sigh. “But are you-”

“Wawawait,” I said, spreading my hands. “Just calm down for a sec.”

“Okay. I will try my best to calm down,” she said, trembling the whole time. She then took several deep breaths while I waited; she seemed really worked up. “I am calmer now.”

“Okay,” I said as gently as I could. “Like I said twice now, I don’t have any plans for the weekend, so sure; let’s go somewhere together. Got it?”

She nodded several times. “I think so.”

“Good,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief myself.

***

“What was that all about?” Sugisaka asked when I returned to the clubroom.

“She asked if I was free on Saturday,” I said offhandedly. “I told her I was, so we’re going to go do…something.”

I heard something crash and quickly looked over to see Nishina picking up her bento box from the floor; fortunately she’d already eaten its contents, so nothing had spilled.

“Rie-chan, are you okay?” Harada asked.

“I-I’m fine,” she replied, but her voice sounded…strained. “I-It’s just that I was going to ask if you’d help us with our singing some more after school.”

“Oh,” I said, not sure what else to say. “Sorry; I didn’t know.”

“It’s not your fault, senpai,” Harada said.

I thought for a moment before getting to my feet again. “Let me see if I can move our date to Sunday. If I tell her your situation, I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“NO!” Nishina cried, causing the three of us to jump. “I-It’s okay! W-We see each other almost every day, so we have plenty of time for you to help us.” She hugged her bento box to her chest. “You should be able to go out and have fun, too.”

“If you say so…” I said settling into my seat again. “Like I said; I‘m sure she’d understand.”

The club president said nothing, but stared at the top of her desk.

Lunch was pretty quiet after that.

***

I carefully slid the door to the Chorus Club room open and entered. Like I had with the Theater club, I had gotten used to going to the Chorus Club after school…not that I thought it was a bad thing. At least it kept me away from home longer. As usual, I was the first one there and, as usual, I settled into one of the desks and lay down on it.

A few minutes later I heard the door open again, and sat up to find the club president entering the room, by herself this time. “Hey, Nishina,” I greeted. “Where’re the others?”

“Hello, Okazaki-senpai. They couldn’t make it this time,” she said quietly as she made her way over to one of the other desks nearby. “Harada-chan started feeling sick toward the end of the day, and Sugi-chan’s parents needed her for something.”

“That’s too bad,” I said. “I was looking forward to hearing the three of you sing again.” I blinked, surprised at my own words.

She froze halfway into her seat. “R-Really?”

I blinked several more times. “Yeah, I guess so. Huh; I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Well, I’m sorry it’s just me this time,” she said with a giggle and a shy smile as she finished settling into her seat.

“I didn’t mean-”

“I understand,” she interrupted. “But since they’re not here…would you…would you…”

She was starting to sound like a broken record, causing me to worry. “You okay, Nishina?”

For the second time that day, I waited patiently as a girl took several deep breaths before speaking again. “Would you be willing to listen to me sing?”

I could feel a smile tickle my face. “Sure, that’d be cool. Did you need me to sit in the usual place?”

“Yes, please.”

I moved to the chair at the side of the room and plopped into it. “I’m in position, commander.”

She hid her giggle behind a trembling hand. “Y-You’re so funny, senpai.”

“No I’m not, but thank you anyway,” I said. “Go ahead.”

She took a drink from a water bottle she had brought with her, then retrieved her music sheet. She moved to her usual practice spot and closed her eyes. Then with her eyes still closed, she began to sing.

Even though she wasn’t singing any words, I still felt my jaw his the floor; Instead of her normally tiny voice, her singing voice sounded…fuller? Stronger? More mature? “Amazing…” And the way her soft, dark-blue hair settled on her shoulders, most of it cascading down her back except for a couple of locks that rested on her chest and framed her face perfectly, the way her closed eyes would scrunch when she sang higher notes, the way…she looked like an angel. “Amazing…”

She finished her song and I couldn’t stop myself from clapping. “That was amazing, Nishina.”

“Th-Thank you,” she replied quietly, with an embarrassed smile and her eyes on the floor.

“I mean it,” I pressed. “You sound so…mature…? Older…? Anyway, your voice is beautiful!”

She looked up at me with watery eyes. “Th-Thank you so much… That means a lot to me.”

My face fell at the sight of the tears in her deep-blue eyes. “Nishina? Y…You okay?”

I watched, dumbfounded, as the tears started to overflow as her breathing quickened. “I’m sorry, senpai…I have to go….I have to GO!” Before I could say another word, she grabbed her bag and stuffed her sheet music into it, grabbed her water bottle and slammed her way out the door, and I could hear her footsteps quickly fading as she ran away.

I stood alone in the Chorus Club room, staring at the still-open door, wondering exactly what I had done wrong.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: May 7 (Wed.)**

“OKAZAKI!!”

I turned from my journey to school to watch Sugisaka stomp toward me. “Hey Sugisaka, what’s the-WHOA!” My body suddenly moved on its own, ducking as a book came flying at my head. I heard a CRUNCH and whirled to see the book embedded in the trunk of a nearby tree. I managed to pull the book from the tree and hand it back to the angry girl. “What was that about? And are you sure you’re not related to Kyou?”

“What did you do to Rie-chan?!” she demanded, taking the book only to raise it to a throwing position again. “She came to my house last night, crying, and all I could understand was ‘Okazaki-senpai’!”

“I didn’t do anything to her, I swear! She sang for me during club time yesterday and I said I thought her voice was beautiful!”

The book lowered slightly, but not enough for me to feel safe. “H-How do I know you’re not lying?”

“What would I gain from lying?” I countered while pointedly looking at her attack book.

She looked up at the makeshift projectile in her hand before sighing and putting it in her shoulder bag. “All right, Okazaki.” She studied me for a minute, then sighed heavily. “Meet me behind the school at lunch. I think it’s time you knew what’s going on.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t know what she planned to tell me, of course, but at least I was no longer in danger of eating an encyclopedia.

***

“Hey, Okazaki,” Sunohara said as he slid into his seat right as the lunch bell rang. “What’cha doing for lunch?”

“Not eating with you,” I said with a smirk, then enjoyed watching him faceplant to the floor.

“You’re not going to eat with your best friend?” he nearly whined as he climbed back into his desk.

“I keep telling you; I don’t have a best friend.”

His expression grew smug. “Ah, I get it…now that you get up early and get to school on time, you think you’ve outgrown me.”

“I don’t think that!” I said, giving my best shocked expression. “I outgrew you a long time ago!”

As he crawled up into his desk again, he asked, “Seriously, though; you getting bread for lunch?”

“Yeah, probably.” Truth was, I hadn’t really thought about what I was going to eat; I was a little nervous about what Sugisaka was planning to tell me.

We left the classroom and headed to the cafeteria.

“So where have you been lately?” he asked. “Kyou says you haven’t been showing up to the Theater Club, so…” he trailed off with a shocked expression. “That’s right; you’ve been hanging out with the singing club, haven’t you?”

“It’s the Chorus Club, you idiot,” I said, whapping him on the back of the head. “Get it right.”

“The Chorus Club…” he murmured as he rubbed where I’d hit him. “Hey, you were supposed to introduce me to them, weren’t you?” He cackled as he rubbed his hands together. “Heh heh… Second-year girls are the best…”

“Knock it off,” I said whapping him of the back of the head again. “You’re creeping me out.”

He was still making ‘yummy’ noises as we entered the cafeteria, but stopped when he saw the line. “Whoa…” he breathed. “It’s really busy today.”

“It’s probably due to the new ‘Cat Bread’ on the menu,” I observed, pointing to the reader board.

He wrinkled his nose. “You don’t think they make it out of real cats, do you?”

“Probably not. I heard that it’s just regular bread in the shape of cat’s heads.”

“Still sounds gross,” he said as he was bumped by a larger schoolmate. “I mean, could you eat a cat’s head?”

“No, but I’ve scratched a cat’s head before,” I said, then thought back. “I got scratched back, now that I think about it.”

“Okazaki-san!” a familiar, friendly voice called out. A moment later, Furukawa joined us. “It’s really busy today, isn’t it?”

“It sure is!” I exclaimed, putting on my best fake smile for what I was about to say. “That’s why I’m so glad that our friend Sunohara is willing to treat us today!”

“I am not!”

“Are you going to try the Cat Bread?” I continued, ignoring the blonde idiot’s protests.

“I don’t know…” she said as she studied the board. “I’ve heard that it’s in the shape of a cat’s head, and…well…I don’t like the idea of eating a kitty’s head.”

“Sunohara here was planning on buying all of them so he could eat them in his room with the lights out,” I said with my best distressed look.

“I was not!”

“He said it’s supposed to be some kind of cult thing, but I don’t get it,” I finished, shrugging with my hands.

As expected, she turned disapproving eyes on the blonde idiot. “Sunohara-san, you…you shouldn’t eat cats! It’s not nice, and…and…they’re wonderful pets!”

“I never said I was going to eat them!” he yelled. “Stop telling stories about me, Okazaki!”

“All right, all right, I’m sorry.” I placed a hand on Furukawa’s shoulder and turned her toward me. “I’m sorry, Furukawa; I was lying when I said he’d buy all of them.”

“That’s a relief.”

I put on my best agreeable smile. “That’s why I’m so glad that our friend Sunohara is willing to treat us today!”

Sunohara’s next words were something along the lines of “GCK!”

“Sunohara-san, you’re so generous!” she gushed. “I’ll make sure to bring some bread from home tomorrow as thanks!”

“Uh…yeah.” The poor guy was totally floored, and said nothing as he headed toward the counter to buy lunch for three people.

In the end, I ended up with anpan. Oh, well; at least it was free.

***

“What took you so long?” Sugisaka growled as I met her next to one of the few tables in the school’s back area.

“Sorry, I had to pick up my lunch and cause trouble for one of my classmates,” I admitted.

“Cause trouble, huh? Well, at least it was time well spent,” she replied, surprising me, and we shared a smile as we settled down at one of the many picnic tables in the back courtyard of the school.

She looked thoughtful as we ate, and I assumed it was because she was still working on how to tell me what she wanted to tell me.

“Listen, Okazaki…” she started, then made an annoyed face. “Maybe I should just start from the beginning.”

“Sounds good.”

“Okay, so you know that Rie-chan can play the violin, right?”

“Sure,” I said. “She was playing it when Kotomi-chan found you.”

“Right. Well, the truth is…she can’t play it very well.”

I shrugged. “So? Nobody’s very good at stuff when they start.”

“I wasn’t finished,” she said with another annoyed look. “The fact is, she used to be really good at the violin until her accident.”

“Accident?”

She nodded solemnly. “About a year or so before high school, she was in an accident that injured her right hand, so she can’t grip the bow like she used to.”

My mind flashed back to the accident that injured my shoulder. “That…really sucks.”

“No kidding, Anyway, she was really depressed for a long time until she got here. I can’t remember how they met, but Koumura-sensei found out about her hand and taught her about singing. So she tried it and found out she’s really good at it.”

I grunted. “Too bad he couldn’t help me with my shoulder.”

“Your shoulder?” she asked with a puzzled look. “What’s wrong with your shoulder?”

“Never mind,” I said with a shake of my head. “Go on.”

“Anyway, her parents were really upset about…well, not just the accident, but that it took away her future.”

This was hitting uncomfortably close to home.

“So her parents…they didn’t actually disown her, but…” She scratched her head. “…I guess they’re hoping that her little brother will do better.”

“But…she can sing…” I protested.

“She was supposed to go overseas to work on her violin skills,” she said with a sad smile. “But after the accident…”

My blood started to boil. How dare they? “It’s not like it was her fault, right? It was an accident, right?”

I must have been glaring, because Sugisaka actually shrank back from me. “Y-Yeah… I-I mean no, it wasn’t her fault.”

“…And they’re just going to…toss her aside just because she can’t play the violin anymore? That’s…That’s wrong!” My anger forced me to my feet. “She has an awesome voice, but since she can’t play violin anymore they’re done with her?!” I blinked as an idea started to form. “That’s it…”

“Okazaki-senpai…?”

I blinked in surprise at her usage of my name. “Sugisaka, I want everyone in the Chorus Club room after school, got it? Everyone.” I gave her a lopsided smile. “I have an idea.”

She nodded once, wide-eyed.

I excused myself to do some research; I had work to do.

***

“Kotomi-chan?” I called as I entered the library.

“Tomoya-kun!” she cried happily as she hurried to her feet. “Are you here to talk about Saturday?”

Crap; I’d forgotten about that. “Uh…sorry, no. I’m actually here to help a friend, but I need your help.”

She clasped her hands before her. “I will help you in any way I can.”

I scratched my head; the truth was, I hadn’t thought my idea through completely. Oh well, the library was a good place to start in any case. “I’m trying to find some…unusual music for my friend to sing.”

“Sing?” she repeated, and I thought I saw her expression stiffen. “I-Is this for Nishina-chan?”

“Y-Yeah,” I said, suddenly uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going. “Her parents have blown her off because she can’t play the violin anymore, and I want to make them notice her again.”

“I see,” she said, her expression softening. “Why can’t she play the violin? If she needs training, I would be willing to-”

“It’s not that,” I said, trying to ignore the image of Kotomi turning NIshina into a Sonic Tank. “Her hand was injured in an accident a few years ago, so she can’t hold the…the…”

“Bow?” she offered.

“Yeah, the bow. Koumura got her into singing, so I’d like to find something unusual so she’ll stand out.”

Kotomi shook her head sadly. “I am sorry; I do not know much about vocal music…but I would be happy to help you research!”

“Thanks,” I said. “So where should we start?”

“With this,” she said as she led me over to one of the library’s computers. “We can search for what you want and see what we find out.”

I crossed my arms as I glared at the computer. I’d never used one of the things, but if it could help me help Nishina… “Fine…let’s get started.”

***

I tried to hide my smile as Nishina stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at the group of girls on the computer monitor. They were an all-girls group from America’s past, singing a style I hoped that she and the others had never heard before. I wanted to find something unusual for them to sing and, hopefully, this would be it.

The video ended, but the three of them sat as still as statues. “So, do you think you three could sing something like this?” I asked carefully.

“Wooooowwww…” Harada breathed. “That was amazing…”

“Yeah,” Sugisaka agreed. “When you said you had an idea, I didn’t know it’d be anything like this.”

I smiled at their reactions, then looked to Nishina. “Well, what do you think, Chorus Club President? Could you sing something like that?”

Her hand went to her chest. “D-Daddy loves this style! But…they’re so much better than I am.”

“They had to start somewhere,” I pointed out. “And if your dad heard you sing something like this, do you think it might help at home?”

“I don’t know…” she mused. Then her eyes widened again as she turned them on me, this time in anger. “Wait…how do you know about that?”

Oh crap; I’d spoken without thinking. “Uh…um…I just-”

“I told him,” Sugisaka said. “He’s been stressing over how upset you’ve been, so I thought he deserved to know.”

Nishina looked furious as she whirled on Sugisaka. “You promised not to tell anyone!”

“She did it to help you,” I said, trying to redirect her anger from her friend back to myself. “You’ve acted funny every time I’ve said something nice about your voice, and she wanted to help me understand.” I gestured back to the monitor. “I’d like you and your friends to sing this so your parents will notice you again. Is that a bad thing?”

Nishina looked to the floor. “Well…no.”

“Could you do it?”

She looked up at me with uncertain eyes. “I…don’t know.”

“We’ll never know if we don’t try, Rie-chan,” Harada said softly.

“I had Kotomi-chan translate the words to this song,” I said as I offered Nishina a sheet of paper. “You wouldn’t even have to sing the words, since they’re in English; you could just ‘ah’ the notes.”

Sugisaka took it from me and studied it. “Hey Rie-chan, this looks like your kind of song,” she said with a sly smile. “It’s full of romance and stuff.”

“What’s it called?” Harada asked.

“It’s ‘Look in My Eyes’ by the…” I paused; my English wasn’t very good, but I wanted to get the name right.

“It’s by the Chantels!” Nishina exclaimed. At my look of surprise, she blushed. “I just remembered their name.”

“Do you have the original lyrics? The English ones, I mean?” Sugisaka asked. As I handed her a sheet with the original lyrics she added, “Our English is pretty good, so we might be able to sing it.”

“Besides, the syncopation and some of the other elements may be based on English lyrics,” Harada pointed out. “It might sound funny if we try to sing it translated.”

“We’d have to really work on the ‘L’ sound,” Nishina said thoughtfully. “And maybe the ‘R’ sound. Let’s go to my house,” she said as she gathered her things. “We’ll need to work on-” She stopped herself as our eyes met. “I’m sorry, senpai; we’re going to work on this song, but my parents don’t allow boys in the home. “

“It’s fine,” I replied, smiling at her intensity. “I’m the outsider, anyway.”

“Don’t be so sure of that,” Sugisaka said with a mysterious smile. “Anyway, when do you want us to perform this?”

Nishina answered before I could open my mouth. “At the Founder’s Festival, of course! We’ll need to work on our English, and-oh! Maybe we could get Reiko and Kana to…” The rest of her words were lost as they headed out the door, sliding it shut behind them.

I sighed as I watched them go before settling into a desk for an afternoon nap. “Do your best, girls…”


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: May 8 (Thu.)**

As had become the routine, I walked part of the way to school with Sugisaka. “So, how did practice go yesterday?” She was quiet a little longer than I expected, so I looked over to see her watching the ground ahead of us with an amused look. “What?”

“Not telling,” she replied. “Rie-chan made me promise, and I’m not breaking my promise this time.”

“What do you mean? You just practiced that song I found, didn’t you?”

She looked over at me, a flicker of annoyance marring her smile. “Okazaki, three girls were together for several hours; we did more than just practice.”

“Fine,” I sighed. “I don’t get it, but whatever.”

I spent the rest of the trip to school annoyed by her frequent sideways glances and giggles.

***

As usual, Sunohara showed up just in time for lunch.

“Hey Okazaki,” he said, and I had to resist mouthing his words along with him, “what’re you doing for lunch today?”

“Probably just grab some bread and head to the Chorus Club room,” I said as I packed my things, then winced as I remembered-

“Hey, you were going to take me to that club and introduce me to them, weren’t you?” he said, his ‘yummy’ look making a creepy return.

“Knock it off, you idiot,” I said as we left the classroom. “You’ll weird them out with your drool.”

“I’m not drooling!” he objected, then wiped the back of his hand against his mouth. “Damn, I guess I am.”

I snorted as I opened the cafeteria door and let him through first, then nearly collided with him as he came to a dead stop. “Hey, move it!”

“Whoa…it’s super busy today.”

“They still selling the cat bread?” I asked, craning my neck to see the board.

“I dunno,” he replied. “I can’t see the board.”

“Well, push your way in,” I ordered, putting my hands against his back to use him as a bulldozer blade.

“Hey, stop shoving!” he protested.

“Get your butt in there or we won’t get any bread,” I insisted as I mashed him into a member of the rugby team.

“EEK!” I nearly stumbled as he suddenly teleported further into the cafeteria. “I’m moving, I’m moving!”

We were finally able to get in, though all that was left by the time we got to the counter was anpan. As we headed over to the old school building, I looked out of the corner of my eye to see him grinning stupidly. “If you go in there with that look, I’ll punch you,” I told him. “I don’t want them thinking that I’m part of your creepiness.”

“Calm down,” he said confidently. “When we get there, I’ll show you how to win over a second-year.”

“Are they really that different from, say, third-years?”

“Of course! Because we’re their ‘senpais’, they’re already in awe of us.”

I thought back to all the trouble Sugisaka had given me and smirked; Sunohara would have his work cut out for him, that much was certain. “Okay, sensei; teach me.”

We reached the Chorus Club room, and I slid the door open and started to step through, only to find Sugisaka in the way; beyond her I could see Nishina and Harada watching us from their seats, along with a couple of girls I didn’t recognize, one with short purple hair and the other with long red hair. “No boys allowed,” she declared.

“Huh?” That was new. “How come?”

“We need to focus for the Founder’s Festival performance, and we can’t have distractions.”

“You were able to get permission?” I asked, impressed.

“Barely,” she admitted. “But we have a lot of work to do and can’t be distracted.” She started pushing me back out the door.

“Hey,” Sunohara said, choosing the worst time to interject himself, “is this how you’re supposed to treat your upperclassmen?”

Her glare could have burned through steel. “In about five seconds you’ll find out how I treat upperclassmen.”

“L-Let’s go,” I said, pushing a protesting Sunohara back into the hall. “You don’t want to find out; trust me.”

“Tch, fine. Maybe the Theater Club will let us in!” he yelled at the club door as it closed.

As we headed the short distance to the Theater Club I elbowed him the ribs. “Thank you for the lesson, sensei. Real childish last words, there.”

“Shut up,” he huffed as we entered the Theater Club room.

We walked in on what appeared to be a rehearsal. Furukawa and Kotomi stood at the front of the room, while Kyou sat in a chair in front of them holding a stack of bound papers. “You need to be louder!” she was telling them. When she saw me she put her finger to her lips before jerking a thumb to the back of the room. I nodded and headed where she had pointed, settling into one of the jam-packed desks to unwrap my bread.

As we munched I watched the girls’ attempt at a performance and realized that Kyou was right; they really did need to speak up.

“I can’t hear a thing they’re saying,” Sunohara whispered as he glanced cautiously at Kyou.

“Hey, at least they’re up there, trying,” I whispered back. “You weren’t the only one Kotomi was ignoring; she wouldn’t even look at me unless I called her ‘Kotomi-chan’, and now look where she is.”

He simply grunted before taking another bite of his sandwich.

Eventually the performance ended, and Kyou turned to look over her shoulder at us. “Well? What do you think?”

“I think I couldn’t hear them,” I said; out of the corner of my eyes I could see Sunohara nodding in agreement.

“See?” she said, turning back to the pair. “You need to speak up, project!!” She stood up and thumped herself about halfway down her torso. “From here!” She glanced over her shoulder at us again, and I thought I saw a smirk as she turned back to the girls once again. “Nagisa, recite your lines to Tomoya back there.”

“Eh?” Furukawa squeaked; even at my distance I could hear her fear. “B-But that’s-”

“No ‘buts’!” Kyou interrupted. “Tomoya, come up here and stand next to me.”

I internally scoffed, but quickly finished my bite of bread before getting up and trudging over to where Kyou waited, tapping her foot impatiently. “All right, I’m here.”

“About time,” she griped. “Now, Nagisa…your line.”

Furukawa’s face went from normal to red almost immediately. “B-But that’s-”

“You said that already,” Kyou interrupted again. “Now…line!”

Furukawa clasped her hands together so tightly I thought I heard her knuckles crack. “Shall…Sh-Shall I t-take you away, t-to the place where w-wishes c-come true?”

“Are you serious?!” Kyou bellowed. “How do you expect anyone to cry with choppy lines like that?”

“I-It’s scary, Kyou-san…”

“I know it’s scary, but you’ll never get better at it if you don’t practice! Now do it again…without stuttering this time!” Kyou crossed her arms with a glare, and I found myself feeling sorry for Furukawa.

“Shall…Sh-Shall I t-take you away, t-to the place where w-wishes c-come true?”

“This is ridiculous,” Kyou huffed, throwing her stack of papers to the floor. “If you can’t-”

“I will do it,” Kotomi said, nearly shoving Furukawa out of the way.

Kyou and I looked at each other, clearly surprised. “Um…okay,” she said as we both looked back to the new stand-in. “If you think you can do it.”

Kotomi nodded once, took a deep breath as she locked her gaze on mine, and: “Tomoya-kun; shall I take you away, to the place where wishes come true?”

My jaw nearly hit the floor. I’d never heard the library girl speak with so much confidence…she had even managed to look me in the eye the whole time she said her lines. “Y-You’ve done a good job teaching her,” I muttered to Kyou.

“I…didn’t teach her anything like that,” she muttered back as Kotomi took her original place and waited. “And she used your name, but otherwise it was perfect.”

I suddenly found myself feeling more than a little bit nervous.

***

As everyone packed up to leave school for the day, Kotomi approached me. “Tomoya-kun, m-may I speak with you?”

I glanced around to see everyone’s eyes on us, some amused. “S-Sure…what’s up?”

She fixed me with her gaze again, much like when she had recited her line, and I felt…intimidated? “Would you walk with me? I would like to talk with you about Saturday.”

Crap; I’d forgotten again. I must have been really caught up in the Chorus Club’s stuff. “Um, sure…whenever you’re ready.” At least Sunohara had already left, so I wouldn’t have to deal with his antics.

I followed the girls and listened as they talked about the play they were working on, how their classes were going, how Kyou needed to ease off a bit… I wasn’t trying to listen in or anything, but since I was following them I couldn’t help but hear some of what they were talking about.

Eventually we came to a place that brought back some fond memories, and Kotomi stopped and turned to the others. “Kyou-chan, see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, later.”

“Ryou-chan, see you tomorrow.”

“Sure. See you tomorrow, Kotomi-chan.”

I hid a yawn behind my hand. Was she really putting them through this every day?

“Nagisa-chan, see you tomorrow.”

“Yup, see you tomorrow!”

Having finished their farewells the others left, leaving Kotomi and I alone in the fading daylight. “So…what did you want to talk about?” I asked.

She studied me for a minute, and for a moment I imagined her standing over me holding a scalpel while I lay on an examination table. “We did not plan our activities for our…our date, and I would like to do so.”

For some reason, an image of Nishina flickered through my mind. “O-Okay. Did…Did you have somewhere in particular you wanted to go?”

I saw her raise her chin slightly, and I figured she wasn’t looking down her nose at me; she was probably trying to be brave. “I…would like…to…see… a movie with you.”

I blinked. “A movie? I mean, that’s fine, but… You know that theaters can be pretty full of people, right?”

“I understand,” she said, giving a single nod. “But I want our time together to be special. The movie starts at 2:00 PM though, so I would like for us to meet at 1:45 PM…if that is okay.”

“Sure… no problem,” I said, still a little unnerved by her confidence. “Saturday at 1:45, then.”

“PM.”

“PM, of course.” I managed a smirk. “You didn’t really think I would show up at 1:45 in the morning, did you?”

She paled. “Oh no, of course not! “

“That’s a relief,” I said, relieved that I had some control of the conversation. “What movie do you want to see?”

“That…is a secret,” she said as she ducked her head and looked up at me from under her eyelashes.

After exchanging good-byes with her I headed home, worried about what I was possibly getting myself into.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine:  May 9 (Fri.)**

“Okazaki!”

I barely glanced over my shoulder as Sugisaka ran to catch up with me. “’Morning.”

Apparently she picked up on my tone, because she sighed in what sounded like resignation. “Look, I’m sorry about yesterday. Rie-chan’s really working us hard, and I guess it kinda got to me.”

“Fine,” I grunted. “Believe it or not, I understand. I guess it was just…I guess it just surprised me, that’s all. I know I don’t belong in your group, anyway; I’m the wrong year and I’m a guy…I get it.”

“It’s not that!” The intensity of her voice made me look over at her equally intense expression. “She just wants…”

“Who just wants? You mean Nishina?”

She broke our gaze to look at the ground in front of us. “Sorry…I’m not supposed to say.”

I snorted with a smile. “I get it; three-er, five girls in a room for hours.”

She glanced up at me with an awkward smile. “Y-Yeah, s-something like that.”

The silence was deafening for the rest of our walk.

***

I had barely fallen into my seat before my class rep materialized in front of my desk. “G-Good morning, Okazaki-kun.”

“’Morning, Fujibayashi,” I replied almost absently as I rooted around in my bag for my first-period book.

“W-Will you be coming to the club during lunch?”

It took me a moment to remember that she was referring to the Theater Club. “I’m not sure,” I said as I pulled my book from my bag and plopped it on my desk. “Since I’ve basically been booted from the Chorus Club room, probably.”

“You’ve been kicked out?” she asked, alarmed. “What happened?”

“It’s not what you’re thinking,” I said, finally looking up to her widened blue eyes; they reminded me of Nishina’s soft, blue ones…I coughed. “And it’s not exactly ‘kicked out’. They…They’re just working hard on something and don’t want any distractions.”

“I think I understand,” she said thoughtfully. At my puzzled look she said, “The Theater Club met this morning before school to work on our play, but Kotomi-chan seemed…distracted.”

“What do you mean?”

She glanced around the room before leaning toward me. “She kept putting your name in all of her lines,” she whispered.

“She what?” I nearly fell out of my chair, then realized… “H-Hold on; She might be a little excited because we’re going on a d-going to see a movie tomorrow.”

“A movie? Y-You two are seeing a movie tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” I said, relieved that she had apparently missed my slip-up. “Wait, is there Theater Club stuff going on after school tomorrow?”

“No, no!” she exclaimed, waving her hands. “I just wasn’t…I’m surprised that Kotomi-chan would want to go to someplace that’s likely to be crowded.”

“Yeah, that surprised me, too.” I chuckled lightly. “It seems like she’s come so far in just a week. Less than that, really.”

“Yeah,” she said, then we looked up as the bell rang. “Oops, I’d better get to my seat. Have a good day, Okazaki-kun.”

“Thanks, you too.”

I felt her glance over at me several times during homeroom, but I was busy feeling torn between my upcoming time with Kotomi and an odd desire to be around Nishina and the Chorus Club.

***

Again, Sunohara plopped into his seat in time for lunch. “Hey Okazaki; what’re you doing for lun…why’s your mouth moving?”

“Nothing important,” I replied. “Just imitating some lines I heard recently.”

“Oh, okay.” As expected, he was satisfied with that answer. “So anyway, what’re you doing for…WOULD YOU STOP THAT?!”

“I’m probably going to get anpan like usual,” I said, easily switching from copying his words to giving my answer. “Since I’m not welcome at the Chorus Club, I’ll probably head over to the Theater club again.”

“Not welcome, eh?” He got that creepy look on his face again. “It’s hardly surprising; if they’re all like that one girl-”

“They’re not,” I said, feeling a little protective toward my gir-THE girls. “Sugisaka was just under a lot of stress. She apologized to me this morning, so everything’s cool.”

“Everything’s not cool,” he huffed as we got up from out seat. “She hasn’t apologized to me.”

“Well, I’ll tell you what you should do,” I said as I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “After you get your lunch, you march right on down to the Chorus Club room and demand an apology from her.”

The blonde idiot started to look thoughtful, then indignant as we headed out into the hallway. “Yeah…Yeah, you’re right! She owes me an apology, and I’m going to go get it!”

I smirked inwardly: he certainly would get it.

***

I slid the door to the Theater Club room open to a bit of a ruckus. “Kotomi, you’re doing it again! Stop putting Tomoya’s name in every line!”

“I am sorry, Kyou-chan; I am…distracted.”

“I can see that,” Kyou said, “but we need to be ready to perform at the Founder’s Festival, and we’re not going to be ready with the way you keep flubbing your lines!”

“I am sorry…”

“Stop apologizing and start paying attention!” Kyou yelled, throwing the script to the floor again. She saw me standing by the door and sighed before jerking her thumb toward the back of the room. I nodded before heading back to my usual seat. “Is the idiot with you today?” she asked as I settled in.

“Not this time,” I replied. “I think he’s going to the Chorus Club room to get an apology from your second-year self.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind,” I said, waving a hand. “Just…keep doing what you’re doing.”

She blinked at me a couple of times before returning her attention to Kotomi, who had been trembling the whole time. “All right, now try again, this time without you-know-who’s name!”

I felt my face heat up at the same time I felt Fujibayashi’s eyes on me.

For the next few minutes I listened to Kotomi recite her lines, and I grew more and more uncomfortable as I heard what Fujibayashi had been talking about; Kotomi would keep making my name the subject of every line. She also wouldn’t stop staring at me instead of looking at the other actor, Furukawa in this case.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Kyou finally exploded, running her hands through her hair repeatedly. “It’s ‘you’! Say ‘you’!”

“Y-Y-You…” Kotomi was near tears, and I felt sorry for her.

“Tomoya?” Kyou whirled on me. “Can you do something about this?”

I slowly lifted myself from my seat and started over to my trembling friend. “Come on, Kotomi,” I said, taking her by the arm. “Let’s talk.”

“O-Okay.”

I heard Kyou start to bark orders at the other girls as I led Kotomi out to the hallway. “Are you okay?” I asked carefully.

A single nod.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “How do I ask this…? Why are you…putting my name in all of your lines?”

She blinked a couple of times, then quickly looked at the floor between us as her face turned red. “I…am distracted.”

“I can see that.” I licked my lips to get rid of their sudden dryness. “Is it…Is it because you’re thinking about tomorrow?”

Another single nod.

I smiled due to the warmth that suddenly appeared in my heart. “Thanks, Kotomi. I’m glad you’re looking forward to tomorrow, but…” I gestured back to the club door. “…they need you focused. Everyone’s working so hard to make this play a success.” I ducked down to try to get a better look at her face. “Can you stay focused long enough to help them?”

She shook her head several times, but it wasn’t a shake like she was answering ‘no’; it was more like she was fighting herself in some way.

“Can you do it for me?” I asked, hoping that it would give her the push she needed.

Immediately her gaze flickered up to mine, her blush fading, and I almost felt intimidated by her intensity. “I can do it for you, Tomoya-kun.”

“Show me,” I said, sliding the door open. “You show me that you can do it.”

I thought I saw her set her jaw as we reentered the club room.

“Did you fix her?” Kyou demanded as Kotomi took her place opposite Furukawa again.

“She’s not a machine,” I said indignantly. “We talked, and she’s going to do her best.”

“We’ll see,” Kyou said, narrowing her eyes at me before turning back to the acting duo. “All right…let’s hear it.”

Kyou spent the next few minutes being blown away over and over again as Kotomi delivered her lines flawlessly (and without looking at me).

They were going through their scene a third time when Sunohara slid the door open and staggered in. He had a bruise under his left eye, reminding me of our early interactions with Sakagami.

I smirked as he fell into the seat next to mine and began to massage his injury. “Did you get it?” I asked.

“Leave me alone,” he muttered, wincing as he poked his face a little too hard.

My smirk relaxed to a smile as I crossed my arms and leaned back in my seat to enjoy the rest of practice.

***

Club ended, and I followed the others as they headed down the hallway. As we passed the Chorus Club room though, I felt drawn to the window and stopped to look in.

I saw Nishina, Sugisaka, and Harada practicing along with the two new girls, and I felt…lonely. My gaze lingered on Nishina, who apparently didn’t notice me, and I found myself hoping that all of her work would pay off, that she would get her parents’ attention again. I still thought it was unfair for her to be treated the way she was, but…

“Tomoya? You coming?”

I blinked and shook my head to clear my mind and looked to see Kyou watching me along with the other girls plus Sunohara at the far end of the hallway, next to the exit doors. “Yeah, sorry.”

“Hurry up or we’ll leave you behind,” she ordered before opening the door and heading out of the building.

After one last look at the Chorus Club president’s intense look of concentration I headed out myself.

“What’re you peeking in there for?” Kyou asked as I caught up with the others. “You’re not welcome there anymore, right?”

“They didn’t kick him out, they’re just busy,” Fujibayashi said. “Isn’t that right, Okazaki-kun?"

“Busy with what, exactly?” Sunohara asked, hands clasped behind his head as he walked.

Fujibayashi didn’t answer, but looked over at me, and everyone else followed suit.

“They’re working on a song that I found for the club president,” I said. “Well, that I found with Kotomi’s help, that is.”

“T-Tomoya-kun…”

“Anyway, I guess they’re practicing hard to perform at the Founder’s Festival,” I finished.

“Are you trying to help them beat us at the Festival?” Kyou demanded. “You’re a traitor, aren’t you?!”

“Onee-chan!”

“I’m not trying to help anyone beat anyone!” I protested. “She was…They were…having some trouble, so I wanted to help.”

“See?” Kotomi sniffed. “Tomoya-kun is a good man.”

I cringed, and Kyou made fun of me all the way up until we went our separate ways for the day.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: May 10 (Sat.)**

I groaned, scratching at my head as I reached over to pound my alarm. I remembered that I had a date with Kotomi after school, and I wasn’t sure which would end up being more stressful.

I rolled out of bed and padded to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. When I looked up at my reflection, I could see a couple of stress lines under my eyes; If I wasn’t careful I could end up an old man before I turned twenty.

As usual, I met up with Sugisaka on the way to school. “G’morning,” I managed to greet.

“It doesn’t sound like it,” I heard her reply, and I could feel her studying me. “Are you all right?”

“Just didn’t sleep well last night,” I said, running my hand over my face for the umpteenth time. It was weird, though; walking with her to school had become so routine that it was comforting in a way. “You guys practicing after school?”

“Yeah.” She grumbled when she said this, so I glanced over to see her scowling at the ground. “I like that she’s fired up about this, but it’s starting to get on everyone’s nerves.”

“Well, hopefully after tomorrow she’ll settle down,” I said. “If she can impress her parents with her singing, they’ll notice her again and she’ll be all better.” I sent the brown-haired girl a tired smile. “Things should go back to the way they were after that.”

“I hope you’re right,” she replied, not sounding entirely convinced.

***

I slid the door to my classroom open, trudged over to my desk without a word to anyone, and fell into it, letting my bag drop to the floor next to me. Remembering that I still needed my first-period book, I sighed as I leaned over to rummage through my bag.

When I straightened again, Fujibayashi was standing by my desk…only it wasn’t Fujibayashi. “Good morning, Tomoya-kun,” Kotomi greeted.

“Oh…hey, morning,” I greeted with all the energy I could muster.

“Are you looking forward to our date after school?”

“Yeah…Y-Yeah!” I blurted, looking around at the wide eyes of my classmates staring in our direction. “Of course I’m looking forward to it!”

She smiled as she drew a shuddering breath. “I have not been able to stop thinking about it ever since you accepted my proposal.”

I ducked a barrage of jealous stares. “Th-Thanks. That exciting, huh?”

“Oh, it is! A movie, dinner, and then-” She slapped her hands over her mouth. “Oh, no! I almost ruined the surprise!” she muffled.

“Y-Yeah,” I said, feeling anxiety settling in. “D-Don’t want to spoil the surprise…right?”

She nodded, hands still over her mouth. Then she removed one hand to wave at me as she hurriedly left the room.

I flopped over my desk, drained of what little energy I’d managed to recover. What had I gotten myself into? What had I agreed to?

***

School was over way too soon, and I found myself tugging on my collar as I waited next to the school gates for my…date.

“I am sorry that I am late!” Kotomi puffed as she hurried up to me.

“Not a problem,” I said, checking my watch. “I’ve only been waiting about five minutes.”

“CUT!”

We both jumped at the sudden intrusion, and Kyou stepped out of a nearby bush with a look of annoyance. “K-Kyou-chan?” Kotomi stuttered.

She marched up and glared me in the eye. “Never tell a girl that she’s late; you tell her that you just got here yourself.”

“But I didn’t just get here-”

“It doesn’t matter,” she interrupted with a flip of her hair. “You don’t want to make her feel bad, do you?”

“Well no, but-”

“It is all right, Kyou-chan,” Kotomi interrupted this time. “I am not hurt.”

Kyou looked at her with mild confusion. “Well, why aren’t you hurt? He just said you were late.”

“No, Tomoya-kun said that he had been waiting for five minutes.” She pointed up at the outside school clock. “We are actually both early relative to our arranged time; he simply arrived five minutes before I did.”

“That’s not the point!” Kyou yelled, her hands grabbing her head. “A man should never tell a woman that she’s late!”

“Tomoya is not legally a man yet,” Kotomi pointed out. “Also…” Her face scrunched up in thought. “Kyou-chan…are you nitpicking at Tomoya-kun? I am very disappointed.”

I give up,” Kyou huffed, throwing her hands up. “Have fun, you two.”

“Oh, we will,” Kotomi said with an interesting smile. “Thanks to your tutelage, I believe that we will-”

“GAH” Kyou quickly covered Kotomi’s mouth. “Just keep that to yourself and have a good time…got it?”

Kotomi nodded once, Kyou’s hand still over her mouth. “I understand,” she said when she was finally allowed to speak again.

“Are we free to go now, Sergeant?” I asked, getting a little tired of the antics.

Kotomi looked to Kyou, who simply shrugged. Then, she looked back to me. “Let us go, Tomoya-kun.”

As we walked I tried to make small talk. “So…are there any particular kinds of books you like to read?”

She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Not that I have noticed. I believe that all knowledge has value, even if we do not realize it when we first read it.”

“I could see that.” I thought back to our first meeting. “Hey, if you don’t mind me asking…why were you cutting pieces out of the books when we first met?” Her face fell, and I immediately regretted the question. “You…You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to!”

It seemed to take a while for her to pull herself together enough to answer. “I…would like to pass on answering that if it is all right.”

“Sure,” I said. “Sorry if I poked an old wound or something.”

“I know that you meant no harm,” she replied in a subdued tone. “I…I am not ready to discuss it right now.”

“Okay,” I said, not sure what else to say. “Is…Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”

“I would just like to go to the movie with you for now,” she said, then blinked at me with her large, violet eyes. “Is that okay?”

“Sure."

We were quiet the rest of the way to the theater, and I pulled out my wallet to pay for two tickets to whatever she had planned for us to see, but she beat me to the window, surprising me. “I am paying for two tickets for…” I didn’t catch the rest of her sentence, so I figured she was trying to keep it a surprise, which…well, surprised me.

She finished buying the tickets, and came over to me with a shy smile as she took my arm in both of hers. “So we do not become separated.”

“Um, sure,” I managed as she led me into the building.

To my continued surprise, she had purchased tickets to a romantic movie. As the adventure played out onscreen, Kotomi’s statement about Kyou’s ‘tutelage’ started to make sense; she must have coached Kotomi to do everything she’d been doing. I started to worry as I thought about what the violent violet-haired girl might have taught my date.

Several times during the movie I found my mind wandering, thinking about the Chorus Club and wondering how Nishina was doing. From what Sugisaka had told me, she was working really hard to make the performance a success. Every time I caught my mind wandering, though, I’d scold myself and force my attention back to the movie. For her part, Kotomi kept hold of my arm, and I heard her sigh contentedly several times during the movie as she snuggled into my arm. If she noticed my distractions, she never said anything about it.

***

Kotomi was all smiles as I opened the door to the restaurant to let her go first. “Thank you, Tomoya-kun!”

“Y-Yeah…” I managed as I followed her in.

We were quickly seated and given our menus. “I invited you, so I will be paying,” she announced. “Order whatever you wish.”

“Are you sure? I don’t feel right making the girl pay-”

“You are not ‘making’ me pay,” she said, lowering her menu to level her gaze at me. “I invited you, so I will be paying. I-Is that okay? Is that fair?”

When I thought about it, it made sense. “Okay, Kotomi; sorry about that.” Kyou’s ‘tutelage’ must have been intense, with how assertive Kotomi was being.

Apparently satisfied, my ‘date’ smiled sweetly before lifting her menu again.

In the end, she ordered a steak dish, with mashed potatoes and vegetables. My order was like hers…sort of; a burger with French fries. At least there were vegetables on the burger.

I briefly considered trying to make small talk again, but decided against it when I remembered how my earlier attempt had worked out. So we ended up quiet until our food arrived.

“That is a very impressive sandwich,” Kotomi observed as we received our meals.

“Thanks,” I said, looking over at her meal. Seeing her with her meal before her caused me to realize that she was a lady, while I was ordering like I was in some fast-food restaurant. “Your meal looks a lot better than mine.”

“Would you like a bite?” she said, offering a piece of steak on the end of her fork. “Say ‘Ahhh…’”

“I…I shouldn’t eat off your fork!” I blurted before I could stop myself. Lowering my voice I said, “Thanks Kotomi, but I’ll eat my dinner and you can eat yours.”

“Understood.” I thought I saw a look of disappointment as she reversed her fork and ate the bite of steak. At least she didn’t press the issue; I wasn’t sure what I’d do if she went all assertive again.

We didn’t talk much as we ate; in fact, we didn’t talk at all, which made me a little nervous. Was she having a good time? The only time I’d tried to talk to her I’d ended up sticking my foot in my mouth, but she still seemed to enjoy me at the movie, and as I glanced up every so often I could see her smiling shyly at me, so…everything was okay?

***

“I had a wonderful time, Tomoya-kun,” she said as we left the restaurant, taking a huge load off my mind.

We walked side-by-side back toward the school until we reached the place where she would usually go her separate way from the rest of the Theater Club. “Would…” I licked my lips, which had become dry. “Would you like me to walk you home?”

“I would,” she answered without hesitation. With any other girl I wouldn’t think anything of it, but with the way Kotomi had been acting lately…I felt my nerves start to fire again. “Please walk me home, Tomoya-kun.”

I focused on my breathing as we walked down several streets toward a nicer part of town. Fewer apartments and more houses told me that I was entering the kind of area I would only ever visit, but never live. “These…are some nice houses,” I said lamely, trying to cover my embarrassment.

“Here we are,” she said, stopping before a white house with brown trim. “This is my home.”

“It’s really nice,” I breathed. “My dad would never be able to afford someplace like that.” For some reason, the house looked familiar to me…

“I am glad you like it,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice as I stared at her home. “Would…Would you like to come in?”

“I’d better not,” I said. “Thanks, but I’m not really familiar with the area, so I should head back while it’s still light.”

“Okay.” She didn’t offer any kind of farewell, but stared at me intently, like she was gathering her courage…

The next thing I knew, she was latched onto me, her arms around my neck and her face making a beeline for mine. “K-Kotomi!” I yelped as I dodged…her lips?! “What are you doing?”

“It is known as a ‘good-night kiss’,” she replied before moving in for the kill again. “Do you object?”

“Yes!” I cried, managing to get my hands on her shoulders to push her away. “We don’t know each other well enough for this!”

“CUT!!”

My fear gave way to confusion as Kyou popped out of a nearby bush, just like she had earlier. This time, though, she had Fujibayashi and Furukawa with her. “You’re doing it wrong again!” she fumed as she stomped up to me.

“K-Kyou-chan…?”

“You were supposed to pay for the movie,” she said, counting on her fingers, “you were supposed to pay for the dinner, and you were supposed to kiss her!! At least you walked her home…that’s one point in your favor!”

“Kyou…” I think my temper had flared; it had been a long time since I felt this angry, so I wasn’t sure. “Have you been following us?”

“Of course!” she exclaimed, flipping her hair as she gave me a look of disdain. “Someone had to make sure you didn’t mistreat her!”

“I wasn’t going to mistreat her!” I yelled. “Jeez, what kind of guy do you think I am?”

“An idiot with a lot of potential,” she replied without flinching.

“O-Onee-chan…”

“I think he is wonderful.”

The four of us blinked and looked over at Kotomi almost as one. “Wh-What?” Kyou stammered.

“I think he is wonderful,” Kotomi repeated. “When he said something that hurt me, he took responsibility for it and tried to make me feel better. He let me hold his arm and snuggle up to him during the movie even though he was uncomfortable with it.”

I cringed; had I been that obvious?

“…At the restaurant he was quiet, presumably to allow me to set the tone of our conversation due to his earlier misstep. He is a very sensitive man.”

“You got that right,” Kyou muttered.

“But not the way you think,” Kotomi countered, causing my eyes to bug out in amazement. Who was this girl wearing Kotomi’s face? “He was sensitive to my needs and feelings; that is why he is wonderful.”

The rest of us stared in disbelief as she stepped up to me and looked me directly in the eye. “Thank you for not letting me kiss you like that, Tomoya-kun; it speaks highly of your character to not give in so easily.”

“Y-You’re welcome,” I said, intimidated by her intensity again.

“You will be attending Nishina-chan’s performance tomorrow?”

I could only nod dumbly.

She nodded back before setting her jaw. “I will be sure to attend as well. I would like to be with you if I can, but I will understand if you have prior arrangements.”

“Thanks.”

“Good night, Kyou-chan, Ryou-chan, Nagisa-chan,” she said, bowing to each of them as they stood as still as statues, staring at her. “And thank you for your tutelage, Kyou-chan; it was very illuminating.”

“Yeah…”

Kotomi returned her gaze to mine. “Thank you for a wonderful time, Tomoya-kun.” She quickly stepped forward, and I felt a soft, gentle pressure on my cheek. “Good night.” With that, she turned and hurried into her house, the door clicking shut behind her.

We stood there, staring at her front door for a full minute before Fujibayashi managed to snap out of it. “Who…Who was that, onee-chan?”

“A monster,” Kyou replied numbly. “I’ve created a monster.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: May 11 (Sun.)**

I groaned as I rolled over to hit my alarm; even though I was looking forward to seeing the Chorus Club perform, getting up in the morning was still a pain in the butt.

As I went through my morning routine I thought about the upcoming performance and wondered how Nishina was doing. Was she nervous? After all, she had taken on the challenge of learning a new song in a foreign language…did she feel ready?

I thought back to when I first met her, the look of surprise and panic when Kotomi had busted into her clubroom after hearing her playing the violin. I smiled as I remembered meeting Sugisaka and Harada, the other members of the club.

My movements slowed as I remembered Sugisaka telling me about Nishina’s situation with her parents, and my own efforts to help her out by finding that neat-sounding if odd American song; I could still remember the look of amazement on her face as she listened to the song that Kotomi and I had found. And, finally, the look of determination that I saw on her face just before I was kicked out of the club room.

Nishina had taken her singing seriously and I, as well as her parents, would be seeing the fruits of her labor.

I really hoped that all of her hard work would pay off.

***

As I passed through the gates to the school, I looked around at the few stands that had been set up. I had seen them partly set up the day before, of course, but it wasn’t the same as seeing them finished and staffed. Since the regular classes had their displays set up in their classrooms, all of the outdoor stands probably belonged to one club or another.

I figured that Nishina’s performance would be in the gym, so I headed that way to see if there were any signs to tell me when her performance was. Sure enough, I found a handwritten signboard out front with a list. It didn’t take me long to find the Chorus Club’s slot: 1:30 P-

“Tomoya-kun!” I heard a happy voice exclaim, and Kotomi joined me next to the board a few seconds later. “Good morning!”

“Morning,” I greeted as I looked up from the board.

Her smile faded as she looked at the board, and I followed her eyes back to the board, where my finger still pointed to the Chorus Club’s performance time; I quickly pulled my hand away as I straightened up.

“You…are here to see Nishina-chan’s performance, are you not?” she said, her eyes narrowing just noticeably.

“I’m…here to see the Chorus Club perform,” I said carefully; her focus on Nishina had me a little worried. “They’ve been working really hard on the song you and I found for them, and I’m looking forward to hearing it.”

“I…The Theater Club has been working hard as well.” She took a step closer, almost into my personal space. “Would…Would you come watch my performance?”

“S-Sure,” I stammered, nearly backing into the signboard. “Wh-when is it?”

She clasped her hands in front of her chest as she gazed intently into my eyes. “At 12:30 PM.”

I quickly turned back to the signboard and looked for the Theater Club’s timeslot, more to get away from the intensity in Kotomi’s eyes than anything. In spite of my nerves I managed to find the correct time; 12:30, just like she had told me. “S-Sure, I‘ll be there,” I said, turning back to her and putting a little more distance between us. “Your performance times are so close together that it might make it tough for us to watch the Chorus Club’s song together.”

“That is true!” she exclaimed, her eyes widening before changing to a look of determination. “Then I will have to make arrangements to minimize my changing time. If I could set things up properly beforehand, that could facilitate a more rapid change in attire…”

“Sounds good,” I interrupted, not wanting to get lost in the words. “You…do what you have to, and I’ll…see you later?”

She nodded once, determined look still in place, then hurried off into the gym to do…whatever she had just been talking about. Having gotten the information that I wanted from the board, I headed toward the stands to see what they had to offer.

I was headed toward the Machine Club stand and the enormous…gizmo that they had out front when I felt a gentle tug on my shirt. “Okazaki-senpai…?”

I was surprised to see that the Chorus Club president was the culprit. “Hey Nishina, good to see you! I haven’t seen you in a couple of chapters!”

“Huh?”

“Never mind,” I said, waving a dismissive hand. “You ready for today?”

She released my shirt to clasp her hands to her chest. “I’m really nervous.”

“I don’t blame you,” I said. “Trying to learn a new song in a foreign language in just a few days? I could never do that.”

“I-I’m sure you could,” she said, blushing. “Okazaki-senpai? I was hoping that…hoping…”

“Are you okay?” I asked. “I mean, other than being nervous?”

She stepped forward and took hold of the front of my shirt with both hands in a gentle grip like the one she had used to get my attention. “Would you be willing to…sit in the front row when I sing?”

So she needed morale support, huh? “I’ll…do my best, but I can’t promise anything.” A smile crept onto my face. “I’ve really been looking forward to hearing your new song.”

Her blush deepened and spread. “It…makes me very happy to hear you say that, Okazaki-senpai.”

I reached out and laid a hand on top of her head. “You’ll do great, Nishina,” I told her. “I believe in you. You’ll do great and your parents will be proud.”

“You…You really think so?” she asked, looking up at me with wide eyes.

“Yeah,” I said, ruffling her silky smooth hair a little. “Just don’t think about being afraid and you’ll do great.”

As she thanked me before running off to get ready, I decided then and there that not only would I try to sit in the front row, but I would sit in the front row and in the center; I really wanted to be there for her.

***

I hurried into the gym as the group before the Theater Club finished their act. I pushed my way through the oncoming crowd to the front row and, hopefully, the center seat.

“Yes!” I gasped as I fell into the hard-won ‘front-and-center’ seat, ignoring the amused looks of the people around me. “Made it.”

There wasn’t much to see with the curtains closed, but they opened a few minutes later to reveal Furukawa in some kind of dress that had several layers of blue and white and looked like it was from a temple.

“If you’d like…shall I take you…to the place where wishes come true?”

I smiled as I remember her reciting that line to me a long time ago…or was it recently? It seemed like ever since I got caught up in Kotomi’s situation, and then Nishina’s, time had gotten all out-of-whack.

The Theater Club’s play was a short one, about a girl brought to a world where nobody lived except Furukawa’s character. Together they tried to make friends out of the junk that littered the world, but only one came to life. It was strange, though; for some reason the play reminded me of a dream that I could barely remember, kinda like when a word is on the tip of the tongue but can’t be remembered properly.

Kotomi’s performance as the girl being brought to the desolate world was really good, and when the play was over I got to my feet with the rest of the audience and clapped as the members of the Theater Club bowed.

People started to leave, and I remembered that Kotomi wanted to sit with me for Nishina’s performance; unfortunately I didn’t have anything to put in either of the seats next to me, so I tried putting my hand on one of them and smiling apologetically at anyone who came to the front row.

Fortunately my plan worked, and Kotomi hurried in a few minutes later and plopped into the seat next to me. “Thank goodness!”

“Yeah, I was afraid that I’d have to give up the seat,” I said. “Thanks for hurrying. Oh, and good job up there.”

“Thank you…and thank you for holding the seat for me,” she replied, still sounding a little out-of-breath.

“No problem.”

She looked around us. “I was surprised to see you in the front row. I thought you would be more likely to sit at the side or in the back.”

Hoo boy. “Well…the truth is…Nishina asked me to sit here. I think it’s because she’s nervous and wanted to see a friendly face. Since her friends will be up there with her…”

“Morale support?”

“Something like that.”

She nodded once. “I believe I understand.”

Relieved, I settled back in my seat. Kotomi also settled into her seat, though she also settled against my arm, her head resting against my shoulder.

A few minutes later the curtains parted again, revealing Nishina and the other members of the Chorus Club, including the two new girls. My gaze was immediately drawn to Nishina’s face, and she smiled as she saw me, her smile faltering as she looked slightly to my right, where Kotomi snuggled against my arm. I waved my free hand to try to let her know that it was okay and her smile returned, though she still looked a little anxious.

All of the girls wore white dresses, though even I could tell that they weren’t the same style. Still, to learn all that English for a song and be able to coordinate their outfits…I was impressed.

Nishina looked offstage to her left and nodded before returning her gaze to the audience. A few moments later a semi-familiar tune started, and the five girls began to sway to the music. It took them a moment to get themselves moving in the same direction but, as far as I could tell, they recovered nicely.

Their microphones went up to their mouths, and:

 _*“Look in my eyes_  
_And tell me you love me_  
_Tell me you love me_  
_Or darling I’ll be gone_  
_Gone, gone, gone, gone…”*_

I cringed as one of the backup singers’ timing was off on the last part, but the audience didn’t seem to mind as they…got to their feet and cheered? Fortunately the sound system was high enough that I could still hear the singers over the noise and, after nudging Kotomi‘s head off my shoulder, we got to our feet and applauded along with everyone else. Before long, I stopped clapping so I could hear Nishina better. She looked down at me and smiled as she started her solo.

 _*“You still got time_  
_So make up your mind_  
_What’s it to be_  
_Do you want me…”*_

I felt a chill run through my body; it felt like she was singing her lines to me. It had to be my imagination, but I couldn’t think of any reason why I’d imagine stuff like that.

 _*“I don’t need much_  
_I need a touch_  
_Come and love me, please_  
_Or, darling, set me free…”*_

I could almost feel the rest of the world fading away as Nishina and I locked eyes, her long, blue hair swaying with her movements and framing her perfect face. I could still hear the cheers of everyone around me, but they seemed so far away, like they were on the other end of a phone call.

I didn’t realize that the song had ended until I felt a soft touch to my shoulder, and blinked before looking over to see Kotomi watching me with a worried look. “Tomoya-kun, are you okay?”

“Yeah, sorry,” I said as the crowd roared and the Chorus Club bowed. “I guess I was really into the song.” My attention was then drawn to a man, a woman, and a boy about middle-school age, all approaching the stage, and I realized that they must have been Nishina’s family. I looked back to the stage to see Nishina with her hands over her mouth and tears in her eyes as she saw them.

As the crowd started to leave the gym, she slowly made her way down the stairs at the end of the stage nearest the family and stood before them with her hands folded before her. I knew everything would be all right when the man and the woman both reached out and hugged her, with tears streaming down their faces as well.

As much as I wanted to go over and congratulate her, I didn’t want to get in the way of their ‘family moment’, so I turned to follow Kotomi out of the gym. As I did, though, I saw her look my way out of the corner of my eye, so I gave her a smile and an awkward ‘victory’ sign before ducking out the door.

When I got outside, though, I couldn’t help myself; I pumped my fist. “YES!”


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: May 12 (Mon.)  
**

When I got to school the next day, it seemed like everyone was talking about Nishina’s performance:

“Did you hear that group that sang yesterday? They were amazing!”

“I couldn’t understand a word they were saying, but it looked like they were really into it.”

“Man, I wish I had a girlfriend like that lead singer…Nishina, wasn’t it?”

I stopped short, absently apologizing when someone ran into me from behind, and I felt the sting of…jealousy? Motivated by the sudden surge of emotion, I ran to the old school building and up to the Chorus Club room. As I got to the top of the stairs and started down the hall, I slowed as I saw a group of students crowding around the clubroom door. “Nishina…” I jogged the rest of the way and grabbed the first student I came to, a first-year girl. “What’s going on?” I almost had to yell to be heard over the noise of the crowd.

“I’m here to join the Chorus Club, senpai!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Nishina-senpai and the other girls looked soooo cool, and they looked like they were having soooo much fun!”

“Excuse me,” I said as I started shoving my way through the crowd. Many of the students gave me dirty looks, the boys mainly, but I eventually made my way to the clubroom door. I could see Nishina and the others through the window, so I pounded on it, hoping to get their attention.

From her seat, Nishina looked toward me with panicked eyes, and Sugisaka ran over to open the door. “Don’t let anyone else in,” she ordered as she cracked the door open just enough for me to squeeze through. After I was in, she locked the door. “It’s been like this since just after we got here,” she told me.

I nodded at her words, then turned my attention to my main concern. “Nishina?” I knelt down in front of her chair to get a better look at her face, and I could see that she was trembling. “You okay?”

“I’m scared, senpai,” she admitted with a shaky voice as she fisted her hands in her lap. “I never thought this would happen.”

I looked back to the door where the crowd still lingered, and a quick glance at the clock told me that the first bell wouldn’t be going off for a few minutes. I exchanged a glance with Sugisaka, whose expression appeared to be asking me ‘Well? What are you going to do about this?’, so I sighed as I got back to my feet. “Come on, Sugisaka; I’ll take care of this but I might need your help.” I jerked a thumb toward the new girls, who had been watching me with wide eyes. “Are either of them as tough as you are?”

“Yeah.” She waved at the red-haired girl. “Reiko, come on; we might need your help with crowd control.”

The girl simply nodded before getting up from her seat and heading toward us. As she caught up with us she drove a fist into an open hand. “I got this.”

“We’re not trying to beat them up,” I told her, somewhat alarmed at her aggression. “I just need them kept out of the clubroom while I talk to them.”

She glanced from me to the crowd and back. “Sounds complicated, but I’ll do my best.”

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Sugisaka asked with a dubious expression.

“No,” I admitted, “but Nishina looks scared, and it’s pissing me off.”

She studied me for a brief moment before a smile crept across her face. “Then Reiko’ll have your back while I take care of the door.”

I put my nose almost to the door. “Open it.”

The noise assaulted my ears as the door slid open. “Okay, quiet…QUIET!” Once everyone settled down I lowered my volume as well. “Look, I get that you’re all interested in joining the Chorus Club, and that’s great, but they’re still recovering from their performance yesterday, so…” I hesitated as I realized that I didn’t have a backup plan. “…come…come back during the usual club time and we’ll see what we can do. Thanks.”

I waved and gave as friendly a face as I could as the students headed back down the hall, many of them grumbling as they went. I then went back into the clubroom and headed over to Nishina again. “Sorry about that; they’ll be back at club time, but I’ll think of something to do with them later.”

“It’s okay,” she said, and I was relieved to see that she wasn’t trembling as badly as she had been. “I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble.”

“You didn’t cause me any trouble,” I told her. “If anything, I’ve caused you trouble.”

“N-No!” she protested. “You’ve done so much for me, and I’ve just caused you problems!”

“Rie-chan…” Harada breathed.

“What are you talking about?” I was starting to lose patience with the girl. “I volunteered to get the song for you! If anyone has caused problems for me, it’s me!”

“S-Senpai…” she started to tremble again as she sunk into her seat.

A glare from Sugisaka warned me to check my tone. “Sorry, Nishina. Just…don’t blame yourself, okay? I made my choices, and I accept the consequences, okay?”

She said nothing, but nodded with watery eyes.

I licked my lips, unsure if it was okay to bring it up, but… “Listen...I’ll take care of the groupies, but…what do you want done about them? Is it okay if they join?”

“Well…I’d hate to turn them away, but…”

“What do you want for the Chorus Club?” I asked. “Why did you start it?”

Her nose wrinkled cutely as she thought. “I…just want to sing…with Amane-chan, and Nao-chan and Rei-chan and Kana-chan.”

“So you wouldn’t have a problem with them joining the club, you just wouldn’t want to be in charge of them.”

She nodded again.

“Hm.” I stared at her as she squirmed in her seat. “They wanted to join because of your song, and you just want to sing with your friends…” I blinked as... “I’ve got an idea, but…I’ll need to think about it some more.”

“Okazaki-senpai…?”

I smiled down at Nishina’s worried expression. “Don’t worry; I’ve got this. For now, just work on calling me ‘Tomoya’, okay?” I figured that if we were going to be working together, she should be comfortable with my first name.

“Wh-What?!”

“No, not ‘what’; ‘Tomoya’.”

“T-Tomoya-senpai?”

“That’ll work for now. Anyway, you feeling better?”

“Much,” she said, finally smiling again. “Th-Thank you…for everything.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I admonished. “I don’t know how well my plan will work.”

“It’ll work,” she said, getting to her feet to look me in the eye, and I had to fight to keep from getting drawn into hers. “I…I believe in you.”

I blinked as I remembered that we weren’t alone, and felt my face heat up at the amused expressions on the other girls’ faces, especially Sugisaka’s. “S-So…they’ll be back after school, a-at club time, and…I’ll take care of it then.”

“Okay,” she said, still gazing at me.

“So…” I had to wipe my suddenly-sweaty palms on my slacks. “After school, then.”

“Don’t forget lunch.”

“Huh?”

“You will be coming here for lunch, won’t you?” By this point her eyes had somehow pinned me in place; I couldn’t get my legs to move.

“S-Sure,” I replied lamely. “Yeah.”

“See you later, then,” she said softly as the first bell rang, unlocking my legs.

I scooted out of the room as quickly as I could, wondering what had just happened.

***

I reached out to pull the door to the Chorus Club room open but hesitated as I remembered the events of the morning. Not the talk with the groupies, but the talk with Nishina. Something about her made me want to…take care of her? Protect her? Was I starting to think of others first? Was I actually starting to become a respectable person? I snorted, returning to reality as I pulled the door open.

As usual, Nishina, Sugisaka and Harada were already there, along with the new girls…Hattori and Uematsu, if I remembered correctly. “Hey,” I greeted, raising a hand.

“Hey, Okazaki,” Sugisaka returned.

“Hello, Okazaki-senpai,” Harada greeted.

The new girls were understandably quiet, the red-headed girl lifting a hand while the purple-haired one ducked her head with a blush.

Nishina got up from her seat and approached me, her face red almost to her neck. “W-Welcome, T-T-Tomoya-senpai.”

I smiled at her courage. “Thanks, Nishina.”

A clearing of a throat snapped me out of another reverie, and I felt my face heat up yet again as I took my seat next to Nishina and across from Sugisaka. “It’s nice to be able to, uh, eat in here again,” I said, feeling very self-conscious.

“It’s nice having you back in here, senpai,” Harada said in her usual quiet tone.

“Hey, Rie,” the red-haired girl said. “Is this the guy who found that song?”

“Reiko,” the purple-haired girl said in a scolding tone, “he’s our upperclassman!”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, trying to avoid a potential argument. “I’m not a very good student, and I don’t really care about formalities.”

“Is that so?” Hattori said, narrowing her eyes.

“But isn’t it true that you helped Sakagami-san when the Judo Club tried to recruit her?” Harada said.

“I remember that,” Uematsu added. “He looked at the captain of the Judo club right in the eye and stared him down.”

“Wait a minute,” Hattori interrupted. “You were the one who helped Tomoyo?”

“Y-Yeah, that was me.” I admitted. “But I only used my seniority to help; otherwise I wouldn’t have used it.”

Her expression shifted slightly. “I’ll be talking to her to check your story, but if that’s true then you’ll have my respect.”

“O-Okay,” I replied, not sure what else to say.

“May-Maybe we should start eating?” Harada suggested, and we dove into our meals.

“Tomoya-senpai? Do you think you could find another song for us?” Nishina asked.

I sighed heavily. I probably could, since I knew how to search, but… “What kind of song? Do you want one from the same group?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “That would be wonderful!”

I sighed again. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Hey.”

“Yeah?” I said, shifting my attention to Sugisaka. “What?”

For some reason, she was fidgeting in her seat. “Could…Could you find one that I could sing? About love?”

I blinked. Had I heard her correctly? “You want to sing a love song?”

Her gaze snapped up to mine. “What, you think I can’t?”

“Whoa, whoa!” I said, waving my hands. “It’s not like that! You just surprised me, that’s all!” I thought for a moment. “I guess it would help if I knew why you want to sing one.”

My eyes widened as her face nearly burst into flame. I had to strain to hear, but I’m sure that she said, “There’s a guy that I like…”

I looked at the other girls, who simply smiled and nodded. So, they must have known about it already.

I returned my gaze to the blushing girl. “All right, Sugisaka; I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks.”

“If you can find one that asks him about becoming her boyfriend, that would be perfect,” Harada suggested.

I cringed inwardly as I realized that I would have to make a list just to keep up with them.

***

The last bell rang, ending the day, and I quickly packed my bag, ignoring Sunohara’s and Fujibayashi’s calls as I ran from the classroom. I passed several scolding teachers as I hurried down the stairs, two steps at a time, and eventually made my way over to the old school building, hoping that I would beat the rush.

Unfortunately, there was already a huge crowd by the time I made it to the top of the last set of stairs before the floor that the Chorus Club was on. “Nuts…”

They were just as rowdy as they had been before school, and I had to push my way through so Security Guard Sugisaka could let me in. “Took you long enough,” she said with a disapproving look. Farther inside, Nishina sat in the same place she had that morning, with the other girls around her, all watching me.

“Sorry,” I panted. “You know I had to come from the third floor in the other building, right?”

“Whatever,” she shrugged. “Have you figured out what to do about the rioters?”

I looked back through the door’s window and shuddered. “I think so, but I’ll need your help again. Is Hattori here?”

“Here, chief,” the girl in question said, appearing at the corner of my vision.

“Good. So, what we’re going to do is let them in and herd them over to that side of the room,” I said, indicating where I had sat when the girls performed for me that one time. “I’ll ask questions to try and find out why they want to join, and then go from there.”

“’Go from there’?” Sugisaka repeated. “That doesn’t sound like much of a plan.”

“Well I don’t know why they want to join,” I countered. “I don’t know if they want to join a choir or a group of five like yours, or something else. I have ideas on what to do based on how they answer, but…do you really want me to give you the whole list? Right now?”

She flashed a nervous glance at the door. “Okay, Okazaki; your game, your rules.”

I looked over to the red-head. “Hattori, I don’t want them scaring Nishina, so if any of them get out-of-hand, I want them out by any means necessary. Got it?”

“Now you’re talking,” she said, driving her fist into her hand just like she had earlier.

“Go wait by the door,” I told the two girls. “I need to talk with Nishina, then I’ll be right there.”

They nodded once before heading over to the door.

I sighed as I headed over and knelt on one knee in front of the club president. “Did you hear all that? Are you okay with them being in here?”

She swallowed and blinked several times before replying. “I…I’m okay, Tomoya-senpai; I trust you.”

I laid a hand on her head before getting back to my feet and making my way over to the door. “Here goes…”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Sugisaka warned.

“I promised Nishina, so…I’ll take care of it,” I said, hopefully sounding more confident than I felt as I put my nose to the door again. “Open it.”

The noise assaulted my ears once again as the door slid open. “Okay, quiet…QUIET!” Once everyone settled down I lowered my volume as well. “Thanks for showing up. So, here’s what we’re going to do; we need to know why you want to join the club, so - not yet!” I shouted as everyone tried to answer at once. “You’re going to come in here quietly, and then we’ll ask you why you want to join and figure out how you can be part of the club, okay?” I was relieved to hear positive responses, so I let them in and directed them to the back of the room. Once they were settled in I started asking them questions and took notes, trying to figure out how they could be part of the Chorus Club while still singing what they wanted to sing.

As expected, some of them wanted to sing songs like what Nishina and the girls had sung at the festival, some of them wanted to be part of a larger group, some of them wanted to sing solos, and a couple of them wanted to hit on Nishina.

“All right, wise guys; you’re out of here,” Hattori snarled as she manhandled a couple of second-year boys out of the room, Sugisaka following her as backup.

In the end, the whole thing went pretty smoothly, and I started to see a few possible groups.

“We’ll have to test their vocal ranges,” Harada said after the new recruits had left. “Then we could put groups together.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, you can tell from our speaking voices that we have different ranges we can sing…right, senpai?” Harada pointed out.

I hadn’t thought of that, and admitted it. “But now that you mention it, I can kinda see it,” I added. “Or, hear it.”

“So, for the ones who want to sing songs like us, we’ll need one voice for each range so no one’s straining their vocal cords,” she finished.

I sighed, slumping in my seat. “Looks like I have a lot more to learn.”

“It’s okay, Tomoya-senpai,” Nishina said, laying a delicate hand on my shoulder. “I-We’ll help you the best we can.”

With that decided, we broke for the day.

***

“T-Tomoya-kun?”

I blinked in surprise to see Kotomi waiting for me by the school gate. “Oh, hey,” I said tiredly. “How was club? Did you have it today?”

She looked sad as she tapped the ground with her toe. “We did…”

“How’d it go?”

“It was…stressful,” she said. “Other students kept knocking on our door, asking if we were the Chorus Club.”

“S-Sorry about that,” I said as we started to walk, imagining what it must have been like for them. “Apparently a lot of guys liked Nishina’s song from the festival.”

“So it would seem.” She was quiet for a while, so I looked over to see her staring at the ground ahead of us. “T-Tomoya-kun; did you enjoy our date on Saturday?”

The truth was, I didn’t think of our time together as a ‘date’, but I couldn't think of a way to tell her that that wouldn’t hurt her. “I…enjoyed our time together, yeah.”

“’Time together’…” she repeated. “You did not think of it as a ‘date'…then, that would explain it…”

I just listened, not sure what to say.

“Have…Have I been a burden to you?”

“No, not at all!” I said, waving my free hand. “You’re fun to hang out with, I just…” My shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry; I guess I’ve been so distracted with Nishina’s stuff that you ended up feeling neglected, huh?”

“Tomoya? What do you think of me?”

I blinked; she’d never used my name without a ‘-kun’ on the end before. “Well…if I had to answer now…I’d say that I think you’re really smart…funny, in kind of a weird way – but a good one! – and…” I hated answering off the top-of-my-head. “I’m proud of the way you’ve grown lately…you know, come out of your shell?”

She nodded solemnly. “But…nothing more?”

“I don’t understand-”

“CUT!”

Kotomi and I both jumped as Kyou burst from a nearby bush, leaves caught in her hair. “What kind of lame answer is that?” she demanded. “Really smart? Funny in a weird way?” It was obvious that she was imitating my voice as best she could. “You’re supposed to tell her that she’s beautiful, and then beg her to date you! Jeez, is it really that hard?”

“But I don’t want to date her!” I yelled, then my common sense kicked in and I realized how I sounded.

“Do…not…want…to…” My heart started to hurt as Kotomi’s face paled.

“Great job, jerk!” Kyou yelled. “Why don’t you stick a knife in her heart and twist it? Oh wait; you just did!”

I’d had enough of her antics. “Maybe if you’d minded your own business, this could have gone a lot better!” I yelled back. “Why are you so interested in me dating her, anyway?”

“Eh?” She stopped short, as though she’d never considered the thought before. “I…I’m not…” She suddenly dated back into the bushes, and I could hear her footsteps rapidly crushing leaves into the distance.

I sighed before tuning my gaze back to Kotomi. “Look, I…I’m really sorry about…well, this.”

“It is not your fault,” she said in a trembling voice. “Kyou-chan has provoked you several times, so I do not blame you for losing your patience the way that you did.” She took a deep breath, and I could see her lower lip tremble as she did so, and I felt lower then dirt. “If…If you are not interested in me as a romantic interest, could…could we a-at least remain friends?”

I stared at her in disbelief. “K-Kotomi, I don’t know what to say. I mean… Yeah, I’d still like to be your friend, it’s just…I can’t believe you’d still want me as a friend after this.”

“I…am very fond of you, Tomoya-kun, but…” she sniffled, “…it would be unreasonable for me to assume that you felt the same way. I am…hurt, yes, but…I hold no ill will toward you, and would be saddened further if I lost your friendship.”

“I’m really sorry,” I said.

“You are fond of Nishina-chan, are you not?”

I tapped at the ground with my toe. “I don’t know. Maybe. She’s a neat girl, but…”

“Your smile answers my question, Tomoya-kun.”

I looked up in shock; had I been smiling? I didn’t even realize… “May…Maybe I’d better go; I feel like I’m just hurting you over and over again.”

“You cannot help how you feel any more than I can,” she told me. “Please excuse me; I need to be alone for a while.”

I didn’t trust my words so I just nodded, and she bowed slightly before turning and heading away from me, eventually disappearing below the top of the hill.

I felt just awful.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: May 13 (Tue.)**

I woke up to a pounding headache; I hadn’t slept well during the night, mainly because of Kotomi. I hadn’t meant to hurt her, but I didn’t want to date her either; I just didn’t see her like that. I sat up in bed, wishing I could go back to the beginning of the year and work harder at being a better delinquent; then I wouldn’t have to deal with all the drama.

Fortunately my headache started to fade with the hot water from my shower, and I started to think more clearly. Yes, she left hurt last night, but she also wanted to be my friend and didn’t hate me; two pluses in my book.

The look on my face must have been pretty scary, because Sugisaka kept a respectful distance on the way to school. “A-Are you okay?”

“Lousy sleep again,” I grunted.

“How come?”

“Long story,” I told her. “Long and stressful story that I hope I never have to go through again.”

“Sorry to hear that,” she said quietly, surprising me by sounding like she actually meant it.

“Thanks,” I said before starting what had become my morning face-slapping routine to wake myself up.

***

“Okazaki…”

…

“Okazaki…”

Oh...someone was talking to me. “Yeah?”  I mumbled looking in the voice’s general direction.

Sunohara grimaced at me. “You look like crap. What’re you doing for lunch today?”

I sighed heavily. “I’ll probably just lay my head on my desk and die….that sounds good.” To match deed to word, I lay my head on my desk.

“Okay…” I heard him say. “Well, have fun with that.”

I could only afford a grunt in response.

As I heard him leave I took a couple of deep breaths in preparation for some serous sleeping.

“Tomoya-senpai…?”

…

“Tomoya-senpai…?”

“hmmm?”

“T-Tomoya?”

I must have succeeded at falling asleep, because my eyes opened to a small puddle of drool on my desk. “Yeah?” I said, covering the mess with my hand as quickly as I could.

Nishina stood before my desk with the cutest smile, and I suddenly felt self-conscious, like the beast that met the beauty in that one story. “Oh… Hey, Nishina. Sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night and I’m trying to catch up.”

“I heard about what happened yesterday, and I’m so sorry,” she said, and I wondered how much she knew. “Um…I-If it’s okay with you, could I bring my lunch and eat with you?”

“Uh, sure…” I managed; I didn’t really want to be alone, and she was a comforting presence. “If you’re okay being around me like this.”

“I’ll be right back!” she chirped before hurrying to the door. In spite of my tiredness I felt a smile spread across my face as she left.

While she was gone I wiped up my drool, then headed to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face; I could feel the ‘beast’ starting to fade as I returned to the classroom, feeling more refreshed.

She entered the classroom about a minute after me, panting slightly. “Wh-Which desk should I use?”

I thought about it a moment, then moved to Sunohara’s desk. “Go ahead and use mine,” I told her.

“A-Are you sure?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Yeah,” I grunted while rubbing at my head. “I don’t want you sitting here and catching the Idiot Disease. I’m immune to it, at least…I think.”

“Huh?”

“Just…sit down,” I said, patting the seat to my desk. “I don’t have the strength to argue about it.”

“O-Okay.” She cautiously settled into my desk. “I-It feels weird sitting in a third-year classroom.”

“It’s the same as second-year, just on a different floor,” I muttered. “Go ahead and get your lunch; don’t mind me.”

“Where’s yours?”

“I’m not eating,” I told her as she got out her bento box. “I forgot to bring one, and I’m too beat to go to the cafeteria.”

“That won’t do,” she huffed; fortunately I was too tired to chuckle at how cute she sounded. “I’ll share mine with you. You shouldn’t go without food, especially with how tired you are.”

“Don’t worry about m-”

“Hush,” she said, gently whapping my arm. “Now, let’s see…”

I was too tired to argue, so I watched as she pulled out the contents of her bento.

“Here; I made sandwiches, so you can have some.” She put a napkin in front of me and set a couple of cut sandwiches on it. I had to admit, they looked really good.

“Thanks, Nishina.”

“Now, let us put our hands together…”

The next thing I knew, Nishina’s worried face was inches from my own, and I was gasping at a memory. “Th…That’s…”

“Tomoya? Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine,” I stammered; I didn’t want to tell her what she had reminded me of. “I’m okay.”

I could feel her rubbing my back, and it was…comforting. “I’m sorry, was it something I said?”

“You…It…” Damn. “The way you told me to put my hands together…it’s almost exactly the way Kotomi would say it.”

As expected, tears started to pool in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, senpai…I didn’t mean to remind you of something sad.”

“It’s...It’s fine,” I said, trying to push her back to her seat. “I guess it took me by surprise, and…I’m tired.”

“Do…you want me to leave?”

“No!” I blurted, causing her to flinch. “No, please stay; you’re comforting.”

“Huh?”

Crud, I really was tired. “I’m…going to shut up now. Let’s just eat, okay?”

“S-Sure,” she said before nibbling into her sandwich.

The food was really good. We enjoyed our lunch in silence…at least, I hoped we enjoyed it.

***

I woke from my sleep to the last bell of the day and started to pack my bag with heavy arms. I didn’t really want to go back to my old sleeping habits. Really.

“I take it you won’t be coming to my place today,” Sunohara said.

I shook my head, partly to answer and partly to clear the cobwebs.

“You gonna walk with me?”

“Go on ahead,” I grunted. “I’m too slow today. Gonna go to Club, anyway.”

I felt him stare at me for a little longer. “Get to bed early,” he ordered, paused, then shook his head. “Man, I can’t believe I just said that…”

I smiled to myself as he walked out the door, then hefted my bag to my shoulder and trudged to the exit. As usual, I headed to the old school building and up to the Chorus Club room. I may have been dead-tired, but I still didn’t want to risk running into my old man, especially as tired as I was.

I got into the clubroom and made my way over to my usual desk and fell into it, laying across the top of it.

***

I woke to the sound of soft humming, and I smiled at a memory of…something.

“About time you woke up,” came a harsher, but familiar, voice. I sat up to find Sugisaka watching me with an amused look. Next to her sat Nishina, with a gentle smile. My face heated up as I realized the whole Chorus Club was there, watching me sleep.

“Sorry,” I grunted as I reached for my bag. “I’ll get out of here so you can practice. I should have crashed somewhere else.”

“You look dead, senpai,” Hattori remarked with her arms crossed and an amused smile like Sugisaka’s.

“I am dead,” I replied, then I remembered. “Aw crap, the recruits.”

“We asked them to come back tomorrow,” Uematsu said softly.

“Sorry,” I said again. “I’ll get my act together by then.”

“T-Tomoya-kun?”

I felt the blood drain from my face as I finished turning toward the door to see Kotomi standing just inside the room. “K-Kotomi? Hey,” I greeted, lifting my lead-laden arm to wave. “G-Good to see you.”

“You as well,” she replied. She then looked to the group of girls. “M-May I walk him home for you?”

I heard a snort, then Sugisaka’s voice: “Sure, go ahead; He’s all yours.”

“Sugi-chan!” Nishina exclaimed. A pause, then: “I…will come with you.”

To my surprise, Kotomi gave her a small smile. “That would be wonderful.”

All three of us were quiet as we left the clubroom, headed down the hall, and down the stairs. We left the old school building and made our way to the school’s main gate.

Even though I was tired, I was still curious. “Hey, uh, Kotomi? How come you wanted to walk me home?”

“I…heard that you did not sleep well last night because of me,” she replied. “I wish to ensure your safe journey home.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I told her. “And thanks, but I would’ve been fine. See? I’m walking all right.”

She said nothing, but averted her gaze to the ground.

I figured I wouldn’t get any more from her, so I turned my attention to Nishina. “What about you? You’re bailing on your club, you know.”

Her posture changed to match Kotomi’s. “I know…it’s just that…”

As had become the norm, her lengthy pause started to worry me. “Nishina? You okay?”

Kotomi suddenly burst into tears, bringing us all to a stop. “I-Ichinose-senpai! What’s wrong?” Nishina cried.

“Kotomi? Are you okay?”

“Y-You s-see?” Kotomi heaved between sobs. “Y-You’re such a good man, To-To-Tomo-ya-k-k-un, that…”

It was really weird; my adrenaline must have kicked in, because I suddenly didn’t feel tired anymore. “I-I’m not a good man…”

“That’s not true!” I blinked at the sudden outburst and looked over to see Nishina gazing at me, with tears in her eyes and her hands folded. “You helped me when you didn’t even know me, and now you're helping me with all of those new recruits? You are a good man, T-Tomoya-senpai.”

“Y-You s-see?” Kotomi repeated.

I didn’t know what to do; two girls crying while talking about me? For a brief moment the thought flashed through my mind that Sunohara would've loved to have been in my situation. “I…I really don’t…”

“You put others before yourself,” Kotomi said, no longer crying but still trembling. “I would have stayed in the library, reading and reading and missing out on friendship…and love!”

“She’s right!” Nishina shuddered. “You didn’t have to, but you took care of me and the new recruits, even though you don’t even think of yourself as part of the club! You’re so wonderful, Tomoya-senpai!”

“And that is why I…I really l-love you!” Kotomi declared, her teary gaze on Nishina for some reason.

“M-Me too!” Nishina exclaimed. “With the kind of man you are, I can’t help but fall in love with you!”

“Wh-Wh-What?” Had I heard her right?

Time seemed to slow down as the teary, pleading look on Nishina’s face quickly turned to one of shock. “Oh…Oh, no!” she cried out, covering her face. “I’m so sorry!”

“Nishina-chan,” Kotomi said, still trembling as she approached our wide-eyed junior. “Why are you sorry?”

Nishina turned to run, but Kyou popped out of a nearby bush and grabbed her, giving her arm to Kotomi before disappearing back into the bush. It all happened so quickly that it seemed surreal.

“P-Please don’t hurt me, senpai!” Nishina wailed as she tugged at Kotomi's grip.

“Nishina-chan…” My friend breathed, her tears making a return as she drew the younger girl into a hug. “I would never intentionally cause you harm.”

“Wh-What…?”

“You love Tomoya-kun and I love Tomoya-kun. But only one of us can have him – assuming he does not choose another – but…” At this her lower lip trembled. “…but he does not love me the same way.”

“Oh, senpai,” Nishina shuddered. “I’m so sorry.”

“It is…It…will...be okay,” Kotomi said, amazing me with her efforts to reassure the frightened girl; with their similarities in appearance, they almost looked like an older sister comforting the younger. “He and I will still be friends, and…a-and nothing more. Therefore, you are free.”

“F-Free…?” Nishina said, still shaking.

Kotomi swallowed hard, then led her over to me, placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders from behind. “Tell him, Nishina-chan.”

I could only watch in stunned silence as she started to tear up again. “I...I can’t…”

“You must,” Kotomi insisted. “P-Please.”

She looked up at me with terrified eyes, and… “Tomoya-senpai…? I…I r-really l-l-like you. P…P-Please g-g-go out w-with m-me.”

I looked up to Kotomi in disbelief, only to find her looking back with a determined expression in spite of the tears pooling in her eyes. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

“Does…Does it make you h-happy to hear her say it?” she asked.

It took me only a moment to realize… “Yeah. Yeah, it does. I’m sorry, Kotomi.”

“Do not be sorry, T-Tomoya-kun,” she said as she released the shaking girl in front of me. “Be happy…with her.” She then turned and started to head down the road away from the school again…away from us.

“I-Ichinose-senpai?”

Kotomi stopped but didn’t turn around.

“How… How did you know?”

I saw my friend’s head tilt back like she was looking at the sky. “I…I r-read b-b-books.” Without another word she continued down the hill, her hands over her face and her shoulders shaking.

I was left with one crying girl and a lot of questions.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Nishina Rie**

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, almost like a new man.  I wondered about this unusual feeling until I looked in the mirror and remembered… Oh, yeah…girlfriend.

I felt happy and sad at the same time; happy because I felt so close to someone, but sad at the same time because that closeness hurt someone else who was also very close to me.

I sighed at the conflict and finished brushing my teeth; I couldn’t let it control my day, after all.

***

“Hey, Earth to Okazaki.”

“Hm?”

“Stop floating up there with Rie-chan and get down here where I can talk to you.”

“Oh, sorry.” I wiped the silly grin off my face with a hand. “That better?”

“Good enough, I guess,” she grumbled. “Any ideas on when you’ll be able to get me that song?”

I blew air noisily between my lips. “Well, I should be able to go to the library during lunch, and…crap.”

“That’s what the bathroom’s for, idiot.”

I ignored her jab as I realized that in order to research more songs, I’d have to go the library…where Kotomi spent most of her time. Crap. And she was the one who had helped me find the first song. Double crap. “I’ll…do my best and get that to you as soon as possible,” I promised. “Let me get the new recruits taken care of, and then I’ll be able to focus on your stuff completely.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “That sounds good. Thanks.”

I snorted. “Save it for when I put the music in your hands, okay?”

She snorted as well. “All right, Okazaki. And, uh…glad to see you’re feeling better.”

“Thanks.”

We enjoyed small talk the rest of the way to school.

***

“I see you took my advice,” Sunohara said as I passed by his desk. How he managed to get to school on time…I didn’t really care.

I chuckled as I plopped into my seat, leaning my bag against the desk. “Yeah, but I’d planned on doing it anyway, but…nice to know you care!”

“Gross,” he gagged. “Anyway, what are you doing for lunch today?”

“Grabbing anything from the cafeteria and going to the Chorus Club room,” I said. “And, if I’m really awake, I’ll remember to pay for it.”

“You’re in a good mood today,” he grunted. “Why’re you so happy?”

“I choose to be,” I said, then laid a hand on his shoulder. “And you, too, have the power to choose happiness.”

“Knock it off,” he said, shrugging off my hand. “You’re creeping me out. Seriously; what are you doing for lunch?”

“I already told you; getting lunch from the cafeteria and heading to the club room.”

“The club room…” he muttered. “Ah, that’s right! You’ve started a harem in the Singing Club-OW!”

“No harems,” I said, drawing my fist back. “Not my thing.”

“Jeez, you didn’t have to hit me!” he complained, rubbing his arm.

“Yeah, I did. You gonna come with me this time?”

He started to get his ‘yummy’ face on, but seemed to catch himself. “M-Maybe…I don’t know.”

“You know Nishina’s got a couple new girls in the club, right? And a bunch of new recruits. It’s a target-rich environment.”

“New girls? Seriously?” His ‘yummy’ face reappeared, this time in earnest. “Maybe it’s time I showed what a real singer can do.”

“Sounds good,” I said, putting on my best smirk. “When you find him, bring him with you.”

“I was talking about myself!” he yelled, drawing the attention of our classmates. “Do I have to spell everything out for you?”

“Sing? You?” I could barely contain my laughter. “I‘ve listened to you sing along with your mixtape; you sound like someone stepped on a cat’s tail.”

His face reddened for a moment, then somehow cleared. “Heh. You’ll be eating those words by the time I’m done.”

“More like eating your lunch,” I snorted, “but whatever. All right; teach me, sensei.”

***

We stopped outside the door to the clubroom, and I couldn’t help but notice that the blonde idiot kept me between him and the door. “Are you hiding behind me?”

“N-No!” he stammered confidently. “Of course not!”

“Right,” I snickered. “And I’m sure it has nothing to do with the black eye you had a few days ago.”

“Shut up,” he growled as he stepped around me to slide the door open. We then both had to duck to avoid a book flying towards us.

“I told you to never come back again!” a familiar voice snarled from inside.

“Sugisaka, calm down!” I yelled, uncovering my head as I entered the classroom.

“Oh, Okazaki; sorry, I didn’t know you were there,” she said, lowering another book from a throwing position.

“That’s good to know,” I sighed. Then I smiled as my world centered around one particular girl. “Hey, Nishina.”

“H-Hello, T-Tomoya," she greeted as she got up from her seat. “Thank you for coming. “

“Wouldn’t miss it for anything,” I said, my smile broadening.

A sudden clearing of a throat snapped us out of our trance. “If, uh…you two could wrap up your staring contest, the rest of us would like to eat.”

Nishina blinked several times before looking over at Hattori. “O-Of course, Rei-chan; I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. C-Come on, Tomoya; let’s eat.”

“S-Sure,” I replied, not sure how long we’d been staring at each other, and uncomfortable with not knowing.

“Is he going to be a problem this time?” Sugisaka said with disgust as she pointed at Sunohara.

“Hey!” he protested.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “If he causes any trouble, I’ll be sure to punch him.”

“Hey!” he protested.

“Just sit down,” I ordered, kicking a desk toward him. “And don’t start drooling.”

“What are you talking about?” Nishina giggled.

“It’s a long story,” I told her. “Well, maybe not that long, but it’s not a story worth hearing.”

“If you say so,” she said, still giggling.

“I’d like to hear it,” Sugisaka said. “I like dirt, especially on creeps like him.”

“Hey!” Sunohara protested.

“M-Maybe we should eat,” Harada suggested, rescuing me from the topic.

As we ate, I thought about what I needed to do with the recruits. “Hey, Nishina; you said we needed to test their ranges, right?”

“Huh?”

Oh, right; she hadn’t been in my internal dialogue. “I was just thinking about the new club members. How do you test someone’s singing range?”

She thought about it for a moment. “I think they usually have them sing notes as high as they can go, and as low as they can go. They use a piano to help compare.”

“Hm.” That made sense. “So, how will we know which part they can sing?”

“First, it’d help if you knew the different parts,” Hattori said. “For ‘Look in My Eyes’ I sang the baritone part.”

“Baritone?” I’d heard that term, but… “I thought that was just for guys, though.”

“It’s the lowest female voice range,” Nishina explained. “From lowest to highest it usually goes Baritone, then Alto 2, then Alto 1, then Soprano.”

Something wasn’t adding up…literally. “But that’s four ranges, and there are five of you.”

Sugisaka smiled knowingly. “Rie-chan sang the melody, so she doesn’t count. As long as you can sing all the notes, the lead singer doesn’t really have to fall within the usual ranges.”

“I think I get it.” I wasn’t sure that I got it, but I figured I had a basic understanding; something to start with, at least. “So we’ll have to have to figure their ranges and group them based on that.”

“That’s the right idea,” Hattori said. “You learn pretty quickly, don’t you?”

“Not really,” I admitted. “To be honest, I don’t get everything you’ve explained to me.”

“But you’re trying,” Nishina said. “And…you look cool while doing it.”

“This is all really interesting,” Sunohara said, stretching his arms over his head. “Well, not really. If you want to see some real singing, maybe I’ll stop by and give you a sample.”

“Sounds good,” Sugisaka said with a smirk. “When you find someone who can do that, bring him with you.”

“Hey!” he protested.

“I like the way you said that,” I said to Sugisaka. “It’s a lot better than what I said earlier.”

“I try,” she said with a flip of her short hair.

“You two get along so well,” Nishina giggled. “That makes me happy; I don’t know what I’d do if my friend hated my b-b-b-”

“Boyfriend?” Hattori said with an impish smile.

“Y-Yeah,” my girlfriend said with a blush.

“You’d have to dump him, of course,” Sugisaka told. “We girls got to stick together, right?”

“Is that why you wanted me to find a song for you?” I asked teasingly.

“Up yours,” Sugisaka humphed with a half-hearted dirty look.

“It’s just that…” My girl didn’t seem to know how to finish her thought. “It’s just that you’re strong where I’m not. I just hope that I can be strong for you.”

“Don’t worry about that,” I said, laying a hand on her head. “You have enough to worry about already.”

“Y-Yeah,” she replied, looking uncertain.

I caught a glimpse of Sunohara out of the corner of my eye, watching us with an upset look. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Okazaki.” His voice was unusually calm, like the calm before a storm. “Do I understand correctly that you and the Chorus Club president are dating?”

My eyebrow jumped at his sudden usage of proper grammar. “Yeah, that’s right. Why?”

We watched as his breathing got faster and faster, to the point where I could swear that steam was coming out of his nostrils.

“S-Senpai…?” Uematsu asked worriedly.

He suddenly shot to his feet with a burst of steam. “Okazaki, you BASTARD!” he bellowed, nearly blowing me out of my seat. Before any of us could react, he bolted to the door and was through it and out, his footsteps echoing down the hall.

The rest of us stared blankly at the door until Uematsu spoke up again. “W-Was it something I said?”

***

Sunohara didn’t come with me to the clubroom after school, choosing instead to head for the dorm after giving me a dirty look. I smiled to myself as I slid the door open to the usual empty room; I hadn’t been able to figure out how the girls could beat me there at lunch but always arrived after me at club time. I chalked it up as one of life’s great mysteries as I lay my head down on the desk; I wasn’t really tired, but old habits die hard.

A few minutes later some of the new recruits arrived so I directed them to the back of the room. “We’ll get started when the club president gets here.”

“Wait; you aren’t the president?” a first-year boy asked.

I shook my head. “No, Nishina Rie’s the prez; I’m just an assistant.”

“Wow,” he said, and he seemed in awe of me for some reason. “With the way you took charge the other day, I was sure you were.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” I said dryly, then gestured to the back of the room again. “Head on back and wait; she should be here soon.”

I started to worry, though, as more and more recruits started to show up, but no sign of Nishina. I really wasn’t up to running the show myself, not to mention that I didn’t know enough about singing to be able to evaluate the recruits.

Finally, Nishina showed up along with her ‘group’. “I’m so sorry I’m late!” she cried. “My teacher kept me after to talk to me about one of my assignments.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I told her. “I told them you’d be here, and here you are, so let’s get started.” I gave her a lopsided smile. “It’s really good to see you, by the way.”

I thought her face would burst into flame. “I-It’s g-good to see you, t-too.”

After a brief brainstorming session, we pushed a couple of desks side-by-side for Nishina and I to sit in.

“Wait…why am I on the decision-making team?” I asked. “You all know that I don’t know anything when it comes to music.”

“Because,” Sugisaka explained as she pushed me into the desk next to Nishina.

“I’m too scared to talk to them,” my girlfriend admitted, “so I’ll need you to talk on my behalf.”

I sighed and realized that I was starting to sound like Sunohara’s dorm mother. “If you say so…”

We got the first candidate before us – a second-year female – and asked her our trial questions:

“What’s your name?”

“Takahashi Aiko.”

“Why do you want to join the club?”

“To sing.”

I made a face. “Okay, dumb question. What I mean is: What kind of music do you want to sing?”

“I want to sing like she does,” Takahashi answered, pointing at Nishina. “She looked like she was having so much fun, and I want to be part of something like that!”

I looked over at my girl to find her staring wide-eyed at our recruit. “You…You really mean that?”

“OHMYGOSH!” Takahashi squealed, drawing my attention. “She talked to me!”

“Yes…she did,” I said, trying to calm things down. “Do…you know what range you are?”

“S-Soprano, senpai,” she replied, fanning herself with her hand.

I looked to Nishina again. “Will that work?”

She blinked several times, appearing to give the question some thought. “I think so. If it turns out to be a problem, then we’ll test her with a piano.”

“Okay, Takahashi,” I said, turning my attention back to the recruit. “We have you as a soprano. You said you wanted to sing music like Nishina? Did you bring anyone you want to sing with?”

By the end of our first day of evaluations we ended up with one girls’ group of five, a first-year guy who wanted to sing by himself, and a few other guys that Hattori and Sugisaka had to remove from the room. Overall it was productive, if exhausting.

***

“That was fun,” Uematsu said as we ate our ice cream after club. “It was nice seeing them all excited about singing. I hope they do well.”

“Well, if they have any problems, at least they have you five experts to talk to,” I said half-jokingly. “Right, Nishina?”

She didn’t answer, but studied my face instead.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked. “I was just kidding about them talking to you…well, kinda; you are the experts, after all.”

“Tomoya...?”

“Yeah?”

She leaned forward in her seat, holding her cone to the side so it wouldn’t get on either of us as she fixed her gaze on me. “Why do you call me ‘Nishina’?”

I thought for a moment. “That’s…your name, isn’t it?”

“’Nishina’ is my last name, yes,” she replied. “But you’ve asked me to call you ‘Tomoya’; how come you don’t call me ‘Rie’?”

I hadn’t thought of it and admitted as such. “I guess I’m just so used to calling you by your last name that I never thought of it….Rie.”

Her reaction was…surprising; she covered her face and shuddered as she squealed.

“A-Are you okay?” I panicked, not sure which name to use. “Did I do something wrong?!”

“N-No!” she squeaked, managing to pull her hands from her reddened face. “I-I’m sorry; it took me by surprise.”

“If it bothers you that much, I won’t call you by your first name again,” I prom-

“NO!” she cried, grabbing my free hand as she gazed intently into my eyes. “I want you to call me ‘Rie’; I like how it sounds when you say it.”

I found myself intimidated by her intensity. “S-Sure…”

“Jeez, you two,” Sugisaka humphed. “Get a room or something!”

“Jealous, Amane?” Hattori teased.

“Shut up.”

The exchange snapped me out of my trance, and it looked like it had the same effect on Rie, as she blinked several times while shaking her head as though to clear it. “S-Sorry, Ama-nee-chan, Rei-chan.” She ducked her head as she rapped her knuckles against it with the cutest embarrassed smile.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sugisaka replied. “I was just kidding, anyway; I’m glad you’re…happy.” She finished her thought with a glance at me.

“Thank you,” Rie said shyly.

“M-Maybe we should plan our club activities for tomorrow?” Harada suggested.

With that, we started to plan how we would evaluate the rest of the recruits, as well as how we would set things up for the newly formed groups to get music and start practicing.

As I watched Rie talk with the others, though, I started to make plans of my own…


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Nishina Rie**

I told Rie about my idea during lunch the next day.

“Y-You want to what?”

“Take you on a date,” I repeated, wondering why Rie was reacting the way she was. “Is that okay? I figured that since we’ve organized all of the new members that it’d be a good time to ask.”

“I-It’s fine, it’s just…” She took a moment to fan herself with her hand while Sugisaka, Harada, Hattori, and Uematsu watched with varying degrees of amusement.

“Look, if you don’t want to, that’s fine,” I told her. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I-It’s not that! What…would you want to do?” she asked as she timidly looked up at me.

I took a deep breath; I had given it a lot of thought, but I wanted her to be okay with it. “I was thinking that we could go to lunch together after school, then go to the park and hang out. You know…just…us.”

“I…like that idea; I could make something at home and bring-”

“No no!” I exclaimed, waving my hands. “I wasn’t talking about you making anything! I was thinking of treating you!”

“Oh!” she squeaked, her hand flying to her mouth as the other girls giggled, and I started to wonder if there was any way to get rid of our audience. “I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay,” I said, trying to get my heart rate back down. “It’s nice of you to think of it, though. Anyway, is that okay? If you don’t like any part of it, we could change it.”

I was impressed at how her expression changed from panicked to thoughtful. “Well…I would like to be able to cook for you…”

“Go get ‘em, girl!” Sugisaka cheered.

“Ama-nee-chan!” Rie squeaked, covering her face with both hands. “Please don’t tease me!”

“C’mon Sugi,” Hattori scolded. “She’s timid enough as she is; don’t make it worse.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Sugisaka replied and, to my surprise she looked like she meant it. “Seriously, Rie; go have a good time. You two have worked hard and deserve some time off.”

“Really?” Rie said, uncovering her face and allowing me to see her beautiful face again.

“Yeah,” Harada chimed in. “You and senpai worked so hard to take care of the new members; we can handle them for one day.”

“O-Okay. Thank you.” She turned back and looked up at me again. “Okay; let’s go on a d-date on Saturday, but…” she looked down as she tapped the ground with her toe. “I would like…to…to…to make lunch for us to eat at the park.”

I blinked. “Seriously? That’d be great!”

“Just to warn you,” Sugisaka said with a sly smile, “Rie is an amazing cook; if you’re not in love with her now, you will be after you taste her cooking.”

“Ama-nee-chan!” Rie squeaked, covering her face with both hands.

I smiled and carefully peeled her hands away from her face, relieved when she let me. “I’m looking forward to trying your cooking, Rie.”

She blushed furiously but managed to smile up at me. “Th-Thank you, Tomoya; I’ll do my best.”

***

“You going to club again?” Sunohara grumbled as the last bell rang for the day.

“Of course,” I said. “I need to help the new members get music they like, and try to keep the guys away from Rie.”

“That’s right,” he sniffed. “You’re on a first-name basis now since you’re dating.”

“Yeah,” I replied, thinking that his statement should be obvious. “It’s not that unusual, is it?”

“I guess not.” He stared at me for several seconds. “Hmph; I guess I’ll come with you, as long as ‘Second-Year-Kyou’ doesn’t throw any books at me.”

I chuckled as I remembered thinking the same thing about her early on. “As long as you don’t act weird, she won’t bother you.”

He seemed more subdued than usual as we headed to the old school building, though.

“You okay?” I asked. “You’re not being yourself today.”

“What is ‘myself’?” he muttered.

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” He opened the door and took the lead as we headed up the stairs. As we climbed, I thought I heard him say “What is ‘myself’?” again.

We got to the top of the stairs, and it wasn’t long before we stood before the door to the clubroom. I watched him as he studied the door, wondering what he was thinking about. I could remember a time when I wouldn’t have cared, but that seemed like so long ago…and a different ‘me’.

He heaved a sigh as he slid open the door and stepped through. I followed him in to find the room empty as usual, and we fell into desks to wait for the others.

Rie and the girls showed up a couple of minutes later, then the new members started trickling in as she and I talked.

“Senpai,” one of the boys, a first-year named Kawahara, said as he approached me, “could you check out this song and make sure it’s okay for me to sing?”

I looked to Rie, who smiled and nodded. “Sure. What have you got?”

I was handed a sheet of lyrics, and took a minute to read through it. “Is it in Japanese?”

“It’s…English,” he replied, causing my eyebrows to jump. “I did some research on my own and found a song that I liked that’s the same style as Nishina-senpai’s.”

I glanced up at the title again: “Gloria”. I remembered coming across the song during my search with…Kotomi. “It should be okay, but…are you going to be okay with the L’s and R’s?”

“I have been practicing hard, senpai.”

I gave him a dubious look. “Okay, let’s hear it; sing the intro.”

He glanced around with an embarrassed smile. “Yes, senpai.” He stepped back to a respectful distance and opened his mouth. * _“Gloooriiiiaaaa…Glooooriiiaaaa…”*_

My jaw dropped; a kid two years my junior was absolutely nailing it. I looked over at Rie, whose jaw had also dropped, before looking back to the boy. “That’s….amazing! Do…Do you have any backup singers? That song uses backup singers, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” Kawahara said, “but I don’t know anyone who’d be willing to sing with me.”

“I will,” came a deep voice from the back of the room, and a second-year stood and made his way over to us; Gouda was his name, if I remembered correctly. “Do you need a bass?”

“D-Definitely, G-Gouda-senpai,” Kawahara stammered. “I-I would be honored if you would-”

“Save it,” Gouda intoned. “I’m just glad to be able to sing; modern songs don’t have much use for my range.” He bowed. “I look forward to working with you, Kawahara.”

“I-I look forward to working with you as well,” Kawahara replied as he returned the bow. “This is great! Now we just need a baritone and a tenor!”

“Just a baritone,” Gouda corrected. “I’ll bring someone tomorrow to handle the tenor part…if that’s okay?”

“What do you mean, ‘If that’s okay’?” the younger student asked.

“As far as I’m concerned, you are in charge,” Gouda intoned as Rie and I watched in awe. “I’ll bring Sunakawa in, and if you’re okay with him, then he will sing the tenor part.”

“Sounds like you two have some work to do,” I said. “But it also sounds like you’re off to a good start.”

As the two boys talked excitedly, I leaned over to Rie. “I’m going to head to the library to find a song for Sugisaka.”

“Okay,” she replied with a soft smile. “Can I come with you?”

I shrugged. “Sure, but I don’t think it’ll be very exciting.”

She looked around before whispering in my ear: “I just want to spend some time with you.”

My heart rate must have doubled, because it suddenly felt hot in the clubroom. “Th-Thanks,” I managed to say.

“I’ll put Ama-nee-chan in charge and then catch up with you,” she said.

“O-Okay,” I replied, still feeling uncomfortably warm as I got to my feet. “S-See you later, then.” I quickly left the room, unbuttoning the top button of my shirt to try to cool off as I headed down the hall toward the library.

Fortunately, the library was empty; I didn’t know what I would have done if Kotomi was in there. I headed to the computer farthest from the door and powered it on. I had chosen it because it was farthest from the door; I would be a little more out-of-sight, making it harder for me to be distracted or be a distraction to anyone else. I just didn’t want any attention.

I navigated to the search engine that I’d used the last time and started experimenting with search phrases, trying to find a song that matched what Sugisaka wanted.

As I hit yet another dead end, I heard the library door slide open. “I’m over here,” I said absently, figuring it was Rie.

“Ah! Tomoya-kun…”

My blood froze. “K-Kotomi?”

Sure enough, I turned in my seat to find her standing behind me with a friendly smile. “It is good to see you again.”

“Y-Yeah…I mean, thanks; you, too. Is club done for the day?”

Her smile broadened as she nodded. “It is. Is yours?”

“Not really,” I said, glancing back at the computer. “I’m just searching for a song for one of the other club members.”

“Really?” A bad feeling started to settle in my gut as her eyes brightened. “May I help?”

I briefly considered turning her down, but…she was the one who put me together with Rie in the first place; surely she wouldn’t… “S-Sure,” I answered somewhat lamely. “I’ve been running into brick walls so far.”

“That sounds painful,” she said as she settled into the chair next to me. “What kind of song are you looking for? What search phases have you been using?”

“The same ones as last time,” I replied. “Su-I mean, she wants a song she can use to ask a guy to date her.”

“I…see.” She blinked at me several times before looking meaningfully at the keyboard. “May I…?”

It took me several blinks myself to get what she was asking. “Oh! Sure!” I quickly moved over to the next seat, and she moved in front of the computer. Even though I had seen it before, I still marveled at how quickly her hands moved across the keys. “You sure can type fast.”

She said nothing, but I thought I saw her face redden a little.

A few minutes later she slid back to her original seat. “I believe I have found some viable options.”

“Let’s see…” I reclaimed my chair and examined the screen. “Are these the same kind as ‘Look in My Eyes’?”

“They are,” she said with a nod. “I have confirmed that they are all in the ‘Doo-Wop’ style.”

“Well, let’s give ‘em a listen,” I said as I turned on the speakers.

All of them were pretty good, but one stood out above all of them. “I like ‘Be My Baby’; it sounds like she’s asking him to date her, and the melody’s range sounds like it would fit Su-I mean, it would fit her perfectly.”

“That is the second time you have interrupted yourself, Tomoya-kun,” Kotomi said with a worried look. “Is there some reason for this?”

I smiled with a shrug. “Just trying to protect my client’s privacy, I guess.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I can respect that. I did not mean to pry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied smoothly. “And thanks for your help.”

“Tomoya, have you found…the…”

My blood froze for the second time as I heard Rie’s voice trail off. How had I missed hearing the door open? Did she open it during the song?

“Ah! Nishina-chan, welcome!” Kotomi chirped as she rose from her seat. “I was just helping Tomoya-kun find a song for his client.”

“Client?” Rie repeated with a puzzled look.

“J-Just trying to protect my client’s privacy,” I told her with a meaningful look.

I figured she understood when her mouth formed an ‘Ah’. “Thank you, Tomoya; I’m sure Su-I mean, she would appreciate it.”

We both turned at Kotomi’s giggle. “You two are so funny; you even interrupted yourselves at the same point.”

Rie and I looked at each other. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Kotomi waved a hand while wiping an eye with the other. “It is okay. If you are happy, then I am happy.”

“Th-Thanks,” I said somewhat lamely.

“S-So…what song did you come up with?” Rie asked.

I was grateful for the change of topic as I double-checked the monitor. “It’s ‘Be My Baby’ by…the Ronettes? Am I saying it right?” I asked, directing the question to Kotomi.

“I believe so,” she replied. “I will admit that my knowledge of English is limited to its more proper usage, and they may be using it in a way in which I am not familiar.”

“Well, I’ve got the names of the song and the group,” I said, writing both down on a slip of paper from the check-out desk. “I’m ready to head back. Thanks again for your help, Kotomi.”

“May I come with you?”

Rie and I both looked at her in surprise. “You…want to come to the Chorus Club room?” she asked.

Kotomi nodded slowly. “The Theater Cub is done for the day, and it looks like you are having so much fun, and…”

“Can you sing?” Rie asked.

“I do not know,” she admitted. “To the best of my recollection, I have never tried.”

“She doesn’t have to be able to sing,” I said. “I can’t, but I’m still able to help out.”

“We don’t know that you can’t sing,” Rie objected.

“Fine,” I conceded. “Anyway, I don’t think she’s talking about joining the club; she’s just asking about hanging out with us.”

“Oh, you’re right,” she said, then giggled. “I guess I got ahead of myself. Well, if you don’t mind being around a bunch of singing people, you’re more than welcome to join us.”

“Thank you,” Kotomi said with a small bow. “Shall we go, then?”

It was a quiet trip back to the Chorus Club room; I think it was mainly because we all felt a little awkward…well, at least I did. I knew about Kotomi’s feelings for me, of course, which had me wondering why she’d want to be around us in the first place. “Do your parents know you’re here?’ I asked her. “Do they know you’ll be staying late?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes,” she replied.

I blinked at the odd phrasing of her answer. ‘In a manner of speaking’? I shrugged it off, figuring that her family had its own way of doing things as we reached the Chorus clubroom door. We headed inside, and I beelined it over to Sugisaka, who was talking quietly with the other groupmates. “Got it, boss.”

Her eyes lit up. “You found a song for me?”

“Yup, I did!” I said, handing over the slip of paper. “You can thank Kotomi; she helped me find it.”

“I simply helped with the search,” Kotomi said, suddenly appearing next to me, “but Tomoya-kun listened to every song to find the best one for you.”

Sugisaka blinked at Kotomi in surprise before hurrying to her feet. “Th-Thank you, Ichinose-senpai.”

Kotomi simply smiled at her junior like a mother would at a clever child. “You should thank Tomoya-kun; he worked hard to search for the song and listened to every one of them to find the perfect one for you.”

I felt my face heat up at the praise. “I…I didn’t-”

“Now Tomoya-kun,” Kotomi said in a lightly scolding tone as she turned to me. “You are a wonderful and caring person; that is why Nishina-chan and I love you.”

“S-Senpai!” Rie squeaked, coving her face.

It was Kotomi’s turn to blink in surprise. “Did…I say something wrong?”

“Information bomb,” Hattori said with a wry smile.

“You just confessed your love to another girl’s boyfriend…right in front of her,” Sugisaka informed my friend.

A brief, thoughtful expression, then: “Oh! Oh, no! I am so sorry, Nishina-chan!” she said, bowing repeatedly. “I was so much in the present that I failed to consider the past! Please forgive me!”

“I-It’s okay, senpai!” Rie muffled into her hands. “I know you didn’t mean any harm!”

“So…Sugisaka,” I said, desperate to change the subject, “do you think that song’ll work for you?”

“I’m not sure,” she replied with a knowing look as Kotomi held Rie. “I’d have to hear the song to see if it’s in my range.”

“R-Right…” I said while repeatedly glancing over at Rie, still wrapped in Kotomi’s arms. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sugisaka said, waving a hand. “I’ll look into it. Besides…” she cast a glance over the two hugging girls, “…it looks like your hands are full, anyway.”

Rie finally calmed down and the girls practiced until we broke for the day.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: Nishina Rie**

I doubled-checked the top button of my shirt as I turned the last corner to head to the entrance to the park. Something about Rie made me want to look my best for our first date; it was probably the fact that she was such a…a lady. Being with her caused me to have mixed feelings; one the one hand, I was really happy to be with someone as neat as her, but…on the other hand, it reminded me of how…inadequate…I was.

My mood brightened as I saw her standing next to the entrance, wearing a white dress with some kind of blue lining around it. In her hands was a large, brown bag. “Hey, Rie; sorry to keep you waiting.”

A smile broke out on her face when she saw me, lifting my spirits even more. “Tomoya! No, I haven’t been waiting at all!”

I felt a smirk form. “Come on, I know you’ve been waiting at least half a minute; that’s how long it took me to get here after turning the corner back there,” I said, pointing back the way I had come.

She ducked her head meekly. “I’m sorry for lying; I’ve actually been waiting for about half an hour.”

My smirk faded, and I checked my watch. “I…I thought we were supposed to meet at one! Was it twelve-thirty?”

“No no,” she said, shaking her head, making her beautiful curtain of blue sway. “It was one; I was just so excited that…I got here a little too early.”

“That’s a relief,” I said with a matching sigh. “I’d feel really bad if I kept you waiting just because I messed up the time.”

“Well, you’re on time…in fact, a little early,” she said with the brightest smile I’d ever seen. “And you look so handsome!”

“Th-Thanks,” I said, tugging on my collar. “This is the nicest shirt I have, so I’m glad it’s okay. You…You look…You’re beautiful today, Rie. I mean, you look nice every day, but…” Why was I getting all tongue-tied? “That dress looks good on you.”

“Thank you very much,” she said shyly, then gestured to the park entrance. “Are you hungry?”

“Y-Yeah,” I said, shaking my head to clear it as I followed her into the park. I figured that I was nervous because this would be our first time alone together. Even though we would be in a public park. “Pull yourself together, Okazaki…” I mumbled to myself.

We found a good spot to lay out the blanket, and it wasn’t long before the lunch she had made was spread out on it. “I’m sorry if this isn’t enough,” she said. “I’ve never made lunch for a boy before.”

“You haven’t?”

She shook her head. “I’ve brought stuff to school to share with the girls, but I know that you have different needs than we do. More protein, for example…”

“Wow, you’ve really done your homework, haven’t you?” I said, awed.

“N-Not r-really,” she stammered, her words coming out quickly. “I j-just know that boys have more m-m-muscle than girls, and muscles need protein, and…sh-should we start eating?”

“You okay, Rie?” I asked. “You’re looking a little red, there.”

“I’m fine! Fine! I mean, _Itadakimasu_!” she exclaimed with a giggle, but it sounded a little...forced.

***

“So, how are things going with your parents?” I asked carefully. “I thought I saw you with them after you performance at the Festival.”

She paused, and a thoughtful look crossed her face; it was very cute, and I had to resist the urge to kiss her. “Yeah, things are better. Mom and Dad were both impressed with my performance, and Dad really likes the doo-wop style.”

“Do you know why he likes it? It seems kinda weird that someone would like a style from another country, and from so long ago.”

“I don’t know,” she admitted with a shrug and a smile. “I’ve never thought to ask.”

“Oh well…as long as he liked your performance, then I guess that’s all that matters, huh?” I mused.

“I suppose…” she said, then her smile faded. “He’s already talking about getting voice lessons for me.”

“That’s good, isn’t it? Your mom and dad are giving you attention again, right?”

“That’s true, but…” She suddenly looked…sad? “I just wish they’d give me attention because I’m ‘Rie’, not because I could play the violin or sing.”

“I’m sure they do,” I said, trying to be encouraging. “Maybe…Maybe they just want the best for you. Maybe they’re trying to help you have a, uh…successful future?”

“Maybe…” she said heavily, staring at the blanket. Then she looked up at me affectionately. “You’re so supportive, Tomoya… Thank you.”

“Y-You’re welcome,” I replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “I just…I don’t want you to be sad; I want to help you as much as I can.”

“I know,” she said as she reached toward my face…then quickly jerked her hand back. “I’m sorry!”

I smiled at her awkwardness; she was adorable. “It’s okay, Rie. Here,” I leaned forward, bringing my face closer to her. “Go ahead; I’m your boyfriend, right?”

“R-Right…” She reached out with a trembling hand, and I closed my eyes as it rested against my cheek; it was soft and cool to the touch. Was this was real femininity felt like? “Wow…your face is warm…and kind of scratchy.”

“I forgot to shave this morning,” I admitted. “I was looking forward to this so much that I forgot. Sorry.”

“I-It’s okay,” she said, withdrawing her hand with a caress. “I like it; it’s…different.”

“How’s it different?”

She looked down at the blanket again, a blush creeping across her face. “I’ve…never touched a boy’s face before…other than my brother’s I mean, but that’s not the same.”

“I see.” I mulled over her words, then: “Wait a minute, Rie; are you saying you’ve never had a boyfriend?”

She nodded, then shook her head, and I realized she was having a hard time figuring out how to answer my question. Finally, she said, “I’ve…never had a boyfriend before.”

I was her first? The idea made me really happy. “I…don’t know what to say, Rie. I’m…honored.”

“A lot of boys have asked me out,” she admitted as she traced circles on the blanket with her finger, “but none of them were like you, Tomoya.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “I mean, they’re all better than I am, aren’t they? I’m a delinquent; I sleep-well, I used to sleep late, get to school late…” Crap, reality was starting to settle in, but she deserved to know the truth. “…my grades are terrible, and I’m a few absences away from not graduating.”

“Why do you sleep in so late?” she asked with a look of genuine concern, then quickly covered her mouth in shock. “I’m sorry! That’s a personal question! You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to!”

“No, you deserve to know if we’re going to be dating,” I told her, then blew air noisily between my lips. “I guess the short version would be: my mom died when I was really young, my dad drank to deal with the loss, and he and I fought starting in middle school. One time, he accidentally broke my shoulder but I never went to the hospital.” I took a deep breath; this was always the hardest part. “See, I was pretty good at basketball…got into Hikarizaka on a basketball recommendation, but…” I raised my right arm as high as it would go. “…I can’t shoot baskets anymore.”

My jaw nearly dropped as her hands flew to her mouth and tears started to form in her eyes. “Oh Tomoya, I’m so sorry!”

“A-Anyway, I can’t stand my old man any more anyway, so I tried to avoid him as much as possible. Since he works late, I stayed out later, so I would end up going to bed about two, three in the morning. I’d kill time with Sunohara until then.” I shrugged. “Since I met Kotomi I started getting to bed at a better time; she kinda gave me a reason to go to school, since I didn’t really care before. And now that we’re together…” I trailed off, not sure how to finish my thought.

“Then I owe Ichinose-senpai a debt of gratitude,” she said quietly. “I’m glad she gave you a reason to come to school; we might not have met otherwise.”

“Thanks,” I said, humbled.

We ate in silence for several minutes.

“Tomoya?”

“Yeah, Rie?”

“They’re not better than you.”

“Huh?” I looked over to find her staring at the blanket yet again. “What do you mean?”

She looked me in the eyes, and I was almost intimidated by the fierce intensity in hers. “All those boys wanted were bragging rights. I didn’t hear it myself, but a lot of my friends at the time would tell me that these boys just wanted to date me to have a c-cute girl on their arm.”

“And you’re more than just a pretty face.”

She blushed furiously. “Th-Thank you. I’ve always wanted to be appreciated for being ‘Rie’, and you’re the first person I’ve ever known who’s done that.”

“I’m the first? I still can’t believe it.”

She nodded solemnly. “My parents wanted their little violin protégé, the boys wanted a pretty girl on their arm…but, you’re not like that.”

“H-How do you know?” I tried protesting. “All I’ve done is find a song or two for you and-”

“You helped me get back with my parents!” she argued. “You’ve been a good and patient friend with all of my friends, especially Sugisaka. Most of my classmates don’t like her, but that’s because they don’t know what she’s really like! You gave her the chance to prove herself, and…” She smiled gently. “…you’ll probably be one of her best friends for life.”

I mulled this over; considering her proficiency with book-throwing, someone like her could come in handy if Kyou tried her usual antics again. “It’s good to have skilled friends, I guess.”

“You see? And Harada? I think she has a crush on you.”

“Wh-What?”

“She has a crush on you,” she repeated. “She’s always had a good sense of people’s character; that’s why I’m so happy that we’re dating!”

I started feeling a little lightheaded. “This…is a lot to take in…”

“I’m sorry, Tomoya.” Rie looked around at the remaining food. “Maybe I should stop talking so we can eat.”

“F-For now, yeah,” I said, still reeling.

“Could I say one last thing, though?”

I nodded, feeling a little nauseous. “Just…keep it short, okay?”

“Okay.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she opened her eyes. “Tomoya, you’re the first person in my life to ever try to see me. You’ve…invested in me in a way that no one else ever has. And that’s why…why…”

I kept quiet rather than try to finish her thought for her.

“…why you’re so very special to me. Thank you for being with someone like me.”

“You’re…welcome?” It was hard to believe; this amazing girl with such a big heart, and yet… “But are you really okay with someone like me?”

She reached out and cupped my face in her hands. “Absolutely, Tomoya. You’re irreplaceable to me.”

I was at a momentary loss for words, so I simply covered her hands with mine. “Thanks, Rie; it feels…good to hear you say that.”

***

We finished lunch and packed up the boxes back into the bag.

“Would…Would you like to take a nap?” she asked, timidly patting her lap. “I…don’t mind.”

“Are you sure? I’m not very interesting when I’m asleep, you know.”

“I understand,” she replied, giggling softly. “I just want to do something nice for you.”

“Wasn’t making lunch enough?” I wasn‘t sure why I was fighting against the idea, but I would see it through.

“Tomoya, please stop arguing with me?” she asked with a pleading look. “Just…let me love you for a while.”

I was stunned by the innocence and…desperation? …in her eyes. “S-Sure. Sorry for being a jerk about it.”

“I don’t think you’re a jerk,” she said, patting her lap again. “P-Please make yourself comfortable.”

I sighed with a smile as I shook my head; what a neat girl. “Thanks, Rie.”

I think we both blushed as I shuffled myself around to lay back and rest my head in her lap; I knew my face felt hot, at least. No sooner had my head come to rest in her soft lap and my eyes had closed than I felt her cool fingers gently run through my hair. “Whoa; that feels really good,” I said before I could catch myself.

“I’m…I’m glad you like it,” I heard her say.

We stayed like that for a while, and I could feel myself falling asleep. How could I not, with how comforting she was. As I felt myself finally give in to sleep, I could hear a gentle humming voice, one that took me back to happier times…

***

“Tomoya! Are you okay?!”

“What?!” I exclaimed, quickly sitting up to look into Rie’s worried face. “What’s the matter?” I felt something on my face and wiped it away, my hand coming away wet. “Huh?”

“You suddenly started crying…or tearing up, or something!” she cried. “I’m sorry! Did I make you sad?”

“No, not at all!” I said, though I could definitely feel a…heaviness… in my chest. “I must’ve had a bad dream or something…I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” she asked with watery eyes.

I sighed heavily. “I’m not totally sure, but I’m as sure as I can be that it’s not your fault.”

“Okay,” she said as she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. “I only want to make you happy.”

“And you do,” I said, the fog in my head starting to lift. “You agreed to go on a date with me and you made lunch for us. That makes me very happy!”

“Okay,” she repeated. “Did…Did you want to nap some more?”

I rubbed vigorously at my face. “No, I’m wide awake now, but thanks for offering…again.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, her usual cheery disposition starting to return. “Would you like to walk for a bit? I’d like to.”

“Sounds good,” I said, getting to my feet, then turning to help her up. “I’ll carry the bag.”

“Oh, no,” she protested. “I brought it, so I’ll carry it.”

“Not this time,” I insisted. “You worked hard on our lunch and you let me sleep on your lap; carrying the bag is the least I could do.”

“Okay, Tomoya,” she said, ducking her head meekly. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” I said with a smile as I retrieved the bag. I then offered her my arm. “Shall we, milady?”

“’Milady’?” she repeated as she accepted my arm and we started to walk. “Wow…I’ve never been called that before.”

“You like it? I can call you that from now on if you want.”

“No no,” she said, shaking her head. “I…like it when you say my name.”

“That’s right; I’d forgotten,” I said as I tried to snap my fingers that held the bag. “You like being called ‘Rie’…Rie.”

Her face flushed molten in an instant. “P-Please don’t tease me,” she pouted; she was so adorable…

The next thing I knew, my cheek stung and she had a shocked look on her face. “Ow…” We came to a stop as I touched my new sore spot. “What happened?”

“I’m sorry!” she squeaked. “You surprised me when you kissed me, and my hand moved on its own!”

“I did? I kissed you?” I couldn’t remember doing that. Weird.

She nodded solemnly if fearfully. “You kissed me on this cheek,” she told me, indicating her right cheek, “and I slapped you before I could stop myself. I’m so sorry!”

“I…don’t remember kissing you…honestly,” I said. “I was just thinking about how cute you are and then my cheek hurt.”

“So…you’re not mad?”

“Me? No! If anything, I should apologize for kissing you without your permission. I’m sorry,” I said, bowing as deeply as I could. “Even though I can’t remember, I shouldn’t have done that to you.”

“It’s…okay,” she said. “It was more surprising than anything.” She set her jaw and looked me square in the eye. “If you want to kiss me on the cheek, I’m okay with that. You may kiss me whenever you want, just not at school or club…okay?”

“S-Sure,” I said. “Thanks…I’m honored.” I paused to gather my thoughts. “I promise that I won’t, um…take liberties with it.”

Her bright smile returned. “Okay; I appreciate that.”

“Yeah,” I said, simply gazing at her face. I then realized that I was staring and cleared my throat. “Well, uh…you, uh, ready to walk again?”

“I am,” she said softly as she took my arm again.

***

The rest of the time went by really fast, and it didn’t seem like it was very long before we found ourselves at the park entrance again.

“Thank you for such a fun time,” Rie said as she accepted her bag from me.

“I’m…glad you had fun,” I replied awkwardly. “I had fun, too. Thanks for making lunch; it was amazing.”

“I-It was nothing,” she said, red-faced and tapping the ground with her toe. “Could…Could we do this again sometime?”

“I’d like that,” I said, feeling the smile spread across my face. “Can I, uh, walk you home?”

“N-Not this time,” she replied. “Daddy knows that I’m with you, but I’m not ready for you t-to meet him yet.”

“Okay.”

“Would…Would you lean down for a minute?” she asked, gently tugging on my arm.

“Sure,” I said, bringing my head down more to her level; I figured she wanted to whisper something to me.

What she did next surprised me, though; instead of a whisper in my ear, I felt a pressure on my cheek, my arm released, then her voice saying, “Th-Thank you so much!”

By the time I straightened, she was already halfway down the block to the intersection, and I smiled. “You’re welcome, cutie.” I shoved my hands in my pockets and, with what must have looked like a goofy smile, headed for home.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: Nishina Rie**

I yawned and rubbed at my eyes as I trudged down the hall to the Chorus Club room. Even though my date with Rie on Saturday had gone well, it had also wound me up, making it hard to sleep on Saturday or Sunday night. On top of that, I also had the situation with…well, my crying. It had been embarrassing, tearing up in front of my girlfriend like that for no reason, and I really wanted to know what caused it.

I pushed those thoughts to the side with a smile as I entered the clubroom to some really nice singing:

*” _Gloooooriiiiaaa…_  
_Gloooooriiiiaaa…”_  
_(“Doo doo doo doo…”)_ *

Kawahara stood with Gouda and two other guys at the front of the classroom, performing for what appeared to be the rest of the club. I was amazed at how quickly he had been able to get a group together even with Gouda’s help. Not only that, they had managed to practice enough in just the last few days to sound amazing. Of course, Kawahara looked like he was singing his heart out, but it was also really neat to see Gouda singing the bass line with a look of intensity. I didn’t recognize the other two, but I assumed one of them was Gouda’s friend, Sunakawa.

*” _Well, maybe she’ll love me_  
_How am I to know?_  
_And maybe she’ll want me_  
_But how am I to know?”_ *

As they continued, I felt a hand slip into one of mine, and I smiled down at Rie next to me. “They sound great, don’t they?” I asked.

“They do,” she nodded with a small smile. “Kawahara looks like he’s having a good time.”

“I’m still surprised that everyone seems to be getting into this,” I admitted. “I mean; an old style from another country? And we’re singing it in their language.”

“It’s…new to us,” she pointed out. “And it helps us with our English to sing about happy things.”

“True,” I grunted as we all clapped at the end of the song. “Hey, how’s Sugisaka doing on her song?”

“She’s…nervous…” she said hesitantly. “The Ronettes were a trio, so she asked me and Rei-chan to be her backup singers.”

“That could take some of the pressure off,” I noted. “Where is she, anyway?”

“She went home to practice,” she said. “We’re working on our parts separately, then we’ll start practicing together.”

“I see,” I said, though I wondered how that would work. “Anyway, if she has two of her friends backing her up, that could help her be braver.”

“I hope so,” Rie said with a worried look. “She’s working so hard; I hope she succeeds.”

“She will,” I said confidently. “She seems like the type that’ll go far in life.”

“I think so, too,” she giggled. “She’s a strong girl; much stronger than I am.”

“Hey, you’re plenty strong,” I protested. “You didn’t give up after the accident; you found something else you could do and did it. After my accident, I just…quit.”

“You were hurting,” she countered, turning to lay a hand on my cheek. “At least I had friends who supported me, but you were alone, weren’t you?”

She was right. “Yeah, but-”

“I wish I could have been there for you.”

It was then that we realized that the whole room had gone silent. We both looked around at a room full of smiling faces, our faces nearly aflame. “Um…”

“Is it getting warm in here?” Hattori said while flapping the front of her shirt.

“Rei-chan!” Harada scolded.

_*“Glooooriiiiiaaaa….”*_

Fortunately, Kawahara’s group was able to distract everyone long enough to forget about Rie’s declaration. As they practiced again, I leaned over to her. “I wish you could have been there, too.”

She glanced up at me with a shy smile along with a blush before we returned our attention to the music.

***

“I’m heading to the library to find more music,” I told Rie. “Now Ichigo wants something to confess to his crush.”

“Okay,” Rie giggled. “See you later.”

Her giggle echoed through my mind, causing me to smile as I made my way down the hall to the library. I had a couple of ideas for the song, but I wanted to hear them again and reread the translations before I decided. As I slid the door open I snorted, wondering how I had become the ‘go-to’ guy for everything song-oriented.

As usual, Kotomi was in the library, but instead of sitting with her mountains of books, she was at one of the computers…the same one I usually used. “Hey, Kotomi.”

“Ah! Tomoya-kun!” she greeted, getting up from her seat to bow. “Are you here to look for more songs?”

“Yup. Ich-Er, one of the other third-years needs a song to confess to a girl.”

“Solo or group?”

“Huh?”

She took a step closer to me. “Solo or group?”

It took me a moment to realize what she was talking about. “Oh! Uh, solo.”

“I have found a few that would satisfy either requirement,” she said as she settled back into her seat and gestured to the chair next to her. “Please, sit.”

“Hey, uh…Kotomi?” I started as I sat in the chair. “I appreciate you helping out, but…why? You’re part of the Theater Club; doesn’t that keep you busy enough?”

“Because I want to help you as much as I can,” she told me. “You are my…friend.”

Her difficulty with saying the word ‘friend’ was hard to miss. “That’s nice to hear. Thanks.”

Her face told me she wanted to say more, but instead she turned back to the computer, and we spent the next few minutes looking over the songs she had found.

“I like ‘Your Precious Love’,” I said, leaning back in my seat, “but I don’t think that would be appropriate for the start of a relationship.”

“I agree.” She pointed to another song on the list. “What about ‘Sincerely’ by The Moonglows? It can be sung with backup but doesn’t require it due to the lack of interdependence with the other vocal parts.”

“Hey, that’s not a bad idea…” I mused, only understanding half of what she said. “It’d be neat if he could have backup, though… Maybe I could talk to-”

I heard the door slide open and Rie entered the library with her usual smile in place. “How’s the search going, Tomoya…Ah! I-Ichinose-senpai! A-Are you helping again?”

“I am,” Kotomi said, getting up from her seat to bow again. “We believe that we have found an acceptable song for Tomoya-kun’s…client.”

My eyebrows rose at her choice of words, and I looked over to find her smiling knowingly at me. “She’s been a huge help,” I added. “Thanks again, Kotomi.”

“You are quite welcome,” she replied, bowing yet again.

I jotted down the name of the song along with the artist, and Rie took my arm as we headed toward the door. “Did you want to come along?” I offered. “I’m sure my ‘client’ would want to thank you for your help.”

“I…I will stay here,” she replied, but something about her tone was…off.

“Are you sure?” Rie asked. “You know you’re welcome any time.”

“I…I know,” Kotomi replied; she looked like she was going to cry.

“Kotomi? Are you all right?” I asked, finally acting on my suspicions. “If you’re not feeling well, we can walk you ho-”

“I will be fine,” she interrupted uncharacteristically. “Go and…have a good time.”

“If you’re sure, senpai,” Rie said, not sounding convinced.

“I am.”

“Okay, then,” I replied; if she had a problem but didn’t want to tell us, there really wasn’t anything I could do about it. “See you later, then.”

“Goodbye,” she said with a teary smile as she waved.

Something about her farewell bothered me all the way back to the clubroom.

***

“Ichigo-senpai seemed happy with your choice,” Rie said as we left the old school building.

“Yeah, I have to admit I was surprised,” I said as she took my arm. “I was even more surprised to find out his voice was a perfect fit.”

“It’s nice that Gouda-kun was willing to sing bass on his song, too.”

I chuckled. “I think that poor guy’s just glad to be able to sing in his own range, and will take any chance he gets.”

“You’re probably right,” she giggled behind her hand.

As we made our way toward the main gate I noticed a large group of students clustered near the old school building; they were all looking up for some reason. “Hey Rie, you know what’s going on there?”

“I don’t know,” she said, then looked up. “T-Tomoya!!”

“What is it?” I asked, then followed her gaze to… “Oh my god…Kotomi?”

Kotomi stood on the short wall that ran all the way around the roof of the old school building.

“Let’s go!” I yelled as I bolted back to the old building.

“I’ll catch up!” she yelled back, “Hurry, Tomoya!”

I wasn’t in the best shape, but my legs were longer than my girlfriend’s, so I left her behind as I took the stairs two at a time to get to the roof as fast as possible. I quickly reached the top but stopped short of busting through the roof access door; if I startled her, that could be enough or her to lose her balance, and… I carefully pushed the door open.

Fortunately, she was still where I last saw her, standing on the short wall with her back to me. “Kotomi?”

She looked over her shoulder, smiling sadly when she saw me. “Ah, Tomoya-kun. I thought you had already gone home for the day.”

“We were just leaving when we saw you,” I replied, approaching her slowly, carefully. “What are you doing up here?”

“I am considering committing suicide,” she answered simply.

“Wh-Why?”

She turned to face me fully; how she did it without falling left me momentarily amazed. “It hurts, Tomoya-kun.”

“What hurts?” I asked, still approaching her carefully.

“My heart,” she said, putting her hand over her chest. “It will not stop hurting.”

“Do you know why?” I asked; I figured that if I could keep her talking, she’d be less likely to jump. If I could grab her before then…

She then appeared to focus on something behind me. “Ah, Nishina-chan. How are you?”

“Ichinose-senpai!” I heard Rie cry. “What are you doing?”

“She’s considering killing herself,” I answered as she came up beside me, hoping to shorten the story so I could get back to distracting her from jumping.

“But why?”

“I know it is my fault, but seeing you with Tomoya-kun…it…it is very painful.”

“I…We…” Rie looked to me, and I knew what she wanted to say so I nodded. “We never meant to hurt you! I’m so sorry!”

“Me too,” I agreed. “If it seemed like we were rubbing your nose in it, I’m really sorry, too.”

“You are both so wonderful,” Kotomi said, clasping her hands with a sad smile. “I will miss you both.”

“Kotomi, wait!” I wracked my brain for something, anything… “If…If I can give you a reason to not jump, will you come down from there?”

She appeared to ponder my question for a moment, though it seemed like an eternity. “That is fair,” she finally replied. “Whenever you are ready.”

I looked over to Rie for help, only to find her missing; a quick check behind me found her trying to hold back one of the teachers. “Please, sensei! Let him take care of this!” I could hear her begging. “He knows her!”

His response was lost as I turned back to my friend; fortunately she was still waiting for me, but I figured I didn’t have much time before more teachers would show up to ‘help’. “A reason…a reason…I got it!” I wasn’t sure how good it would be, but… “Your family would miss you!”

“I have no family,” she said. “My parents died ten years ago. I am an orphan, Tomoya-kun.”

“Damn. Uh…”

“The Theater Club needs you!” a new voice startled me. Next to me, Furukawa stood with her hands clasped in front of her chest and tears in her eyes.

“Can the Theater club take away my pain?”

“W-Well, no….”

“Kotomi, get down from there, or I’ll-”

“Kyou,” I snapped, “we don’t need the tsundere act right now! Knock it off!”

Kyou backed into her sister with a shocked expression, nearly tripping over her.

I turned back to Kotomi and sighed. My heart ached for the poor girl. “I’m sorry, Kotomi; I guess my reasons are...just selfish, but…” I looked up into her eyes. “The world would be a smaller place without you, Kotomi. It…” I wracked my brain for the words; I knew how I felt, but expressing it was difficult. “…It would be a sadder world without you. At least…my world would be sadder.”

“But…you have Nishina-chan,” she said softly, sadly.

“But she’s not you,” I countered. “She can’t be my friend the way you are. You’re…uniquely special to me, Kotomi.”

“Kotomi-chan.”

“Huh?”

My chest swelled as she took a step closer to me, away from the edge. “Please call me ‘Kotomi-chan’ again, like you used to.”

“Like I used…?” I gasped as the forlorn look on her face took me back many years, to simpler times of playing and…a white table with two white chairs. “Oh my god…we were friends…a long time ago.”

A look of pure joy spread across her face. “Tomoya-kun! You remember?”

So that was why her name seemed familiar to me, and my sight faded as my eyes turned inward, and the memories started to return; all the happy ones…and the shameful ones. “I remember…I was chasing a ball and ended up in your backyard.”

“Yes…”

“You were practicing the violin….”

“Yes…”

“I would come over and play with you,” I said, the memories rushing over me like a cleansing bath. “We would read together…but I only understood about half the stuff you read, if even that.  And your birthday…”

“T-Tomoya-kun…”

I felt something touch my face and snapped out of my reverie to find Kotomi standing before me, wiping moisture from my face; I only vaguely realized that she had to have left the short wall to be in front of me like that. “Yeah?”

“Why are you crying?”

I quickly reached up and ran my hand across my face. “I was just remembering my promise; to bring lots of friends to your birthday party.”

“What happened?”

I cast my gaze to the roof beneath us, unable to look her in the eye. “I couldn’t get anyone to come, and I was so ashamed that…I couldn’t face you.”

“But you tried…” she said, her hand now resting on my cheek.

“But I failed!” I said, more loudly than intended. “You deserved a better friend than me.” I wiped my nose with my sleeve. “You still do.”

“T-Tomoya…?”

I looked behind me to the small crowd that had gathered and quickly found my girl friend. “Yeah, Rie?”

She clasped her hands before her, tears pooling in her eyes. “Tomoya? I…don’t think we should be together anymore.”

“Wh-What?!” Kotomi blurted before I could settle my nerves enough to reply. “Why?”

“Be-Because you were about to kill yourself because of us!” she declared passionately.

“But-”

“Your life is more important than any relationship!” Rie cried, trembling. “I’m sorry, Tom…Okazaki-senpai.”

“I understand,” I said, wincing as I felt the initial pain of separation. “It…hurts, but it makes sense.” I turned to Kotomi’s shocked expression while trying to swallow the lump in my throat. “You are too important to us, and-”

“NO!” Kotomi yelled, stamping a foot. “No, no, no! I gave up so much to help you two; I will not allow you throw it away like this!!”

“We’re not throwing anything important away compared to your life!” I yelled back. “If our relationship is driving you to this, then we’ll end it!”

My eyes widened as Kotomi stuck a finger in my face. “I will not allow you to ruin such a beautiful relationship!”

“Then promise us that you won’t kill yourself,” I said.

“Wh-What?” she stuttered, withdrawing her finger.

“Promise us you won’t kill yourself,” I repeated, crossing my arms with a glare. “You are very special to both Nishina and me, and if you killed yourself because of us…we wouldn’t last.”

“I know I’d have a hard time being with Okazaki-senpai knowing that it cost your life,” Rie said quietly. “I love you like a big sister, Ichinose-senpai.”

Everyone watched as Kotomi’s jaw worked itself wordlessly for several seconds, and I readied myself to grab her if she tried to run for the wall again.

Instead, though, she collapsed into me, sobbing. “I am sorry! I am sorry!!” she wailed. “I am so sorry for being selfish!”

“It’s okay,” I said softly as I held her, gently rubbing her back. With my eyes I tried to tell Rie to join us, and was relieved when she nodded and made her way over.

“It’s okay, Ichinose-senpai,” she cooed as she stroked our friend’s hair. “We love you.”

She pulled away from me to look at each of us in turn. “P-Please call me ‘Kotomi-chan’.”

***

Rie and I walked on either side of her as we headed down to the school office. None of us said much on the way; I figured that we’d already said a lot on the school roof.

We reported to an office full of surprised staff. “Go on in; the principal is waiting,” one teacher said with compassion in her eyes.

After a lengthy conversation with the principal, it was decided that Kotomi would benefit from counseling. “You’ve been carrying a lot of pain for a long time,” he had said. “But don’t worry, Ichinose-san; we’ll get the best counselor for you.” I figured that it was primarily because she was so smart and would benefit Japan, but at least she would get the help she needed, so I wasn’t going to complain. “You should also find different living arrangements; it’s not healthy to live by yourself the way you have been.”

“I understand,” Kotomi said quietly as she held hands with Rie and I.

We were quiet again as the three of us headed to her place; after the events after school, neither Rie nor I wanted to leave Kotomi by herself.

“I could talk with my parents about letting you stay with us,” Rie suggested.

“I would not wish to impose,” Kotomi protested politely.

“Let her parents decide whether it’s an impo…im…” I grimaced as I struggled with the word. “…a problem or not…okay?”

Her eyes lost focus for a moment. “That is fair,” she answered quietly.

“I’m sure there are lots of your classmates who would love to be able to help you,” Rie said, growing excited. “If we talk to people from the Chorus Club, I’m sure we could find somebody.”

“Or the Theater Club,” I added. “Maybe Kyou and Fujibayashi could…never mind,” I quickly finished as Kotomi shuddered. “Bad idea.”

“Thank you,” Kotomi said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“For what?” I asked as we came to a stop.

“For…For…” she tapped the ground with her toe. “…For loving me.”

Rie and I exchanged smiles. “It’s our pleasure, Kotomi-chan,” she said.

“You make it really easy for us,” I added, hoping that I made sense; her misty eyes told me that I’d succeeded.

We got her home and settled in, and Rie made tea for all of us. Then she drew a hot bath for our friend while I cooled my heels out in the living room. As I waited I looked around, and so many memories of happy times flooded back, of reading and playing…I sighed, happy that my friendship with Kotomi had been restored, if only a little.

“The bath is ready for you, so enjoy it, okay?” Rie said as we stood on the front porch of Kotomi’s house.

“I will,” she promised. Then she looked at each of us in turn. “I promise that I will not harm myself, and I am sorry for the trouble I have caused you.”

“Don’t worry about us,” I told her. “For now, take good care of yourself, okay?”

She nodded once. “Okay.”

Rie stepped forward one last time and hugged our mutual friend. “Thank you for not hurting yourself; I love you, Nee-san.”

Kotomi hiccupped once as she held Rie. “Th-Thank you.” She released her ‘imouto’ and stepped back into the doorway. “Have a pleasant evening, and…please, get back together soon.”

I puzzled over the last part of her statement as we left Kotomi’s property. “Do you know what she was talking about? ‘Get back to…ge…’ Oh. Oh, yeah.”

“Okazaki-senpai…?”

I stopped as I realized Nishina’s voice was coming from behind me, and I headed back to where she stood, gazing at me. “Y-Yeah?”

She started wringing her hands. “P-Please forgive me for breaking up with you; I didn’t want Nee-san to die.”

“No, it’s okay. I understand why you did it; that’s why I accepted your rejection.” I blinked several times as I made sure my words made sense.

The look on my face must have been interesting, because she giggled before falling serious again. “Will you forgive me?"

My chest tightened at the earnest look in her eyes. “Absolutely. Will…Will you take me back?”

I was nearly knocked down by the sudden force of one Nishina Rie throwing herself at me. “Oh, yes! Yes! Thank you!”

We stood in the middle of that street for a really long time, just holding each other.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen: Nishina Rie**

Kotomi was waiting outside the Chorus Club room at lunch the next day. I was surprised to see her at school at all, considering the events of the previous day. “Good afternoon, Tomoya-kun.”

“Hey, Kotomi-chan,” I greeted as we exchanged knowing smiles. “You here to have lunch with Rie?”

“I am,” she said, seeming more chipper than before. “I would also like to request a song.”

That was a surprise. “A song? For who?”

“For me,” she replied, surprising me again. “I need to express my…my heart…in order to move forward.”

“I see.” I felt more than awkward as it occurred to me that her song might have to do with me. “So…what feelings do you want to sing about?”

“Sadness…loss,” she replied easily. “I need to acknowledge how empty I feel before I can be filled with happiness again.”

My eyes widened; for a recluse, she had remarkable self-awareness. “I’ll…see what I can do, but…I’m used to having an assistant, you know.”

She giggled behind her hand, which put my mind more at ease. “I understand, but I believe that you can do it. I believe in you, Tomoya-kun.”

I smiled with a sigh of relief as I slid the clubroom door open.

“OKAZAKI-SENPAI!!”

I jumped back at the sight of a very excited Gouda. “Jeez, don’t do that! You almost made me knock Kotomi-chan down!”

“Oh! I’m very sorry, Okazaki-senpai, Ichinose-senpai!” he exclaimed, bowing repeatedly. “It’s just that I found this song that I really want to sing!”

“You? Sing?” I was more than a little confused. “But aren’t you a bass?”

“Yes! But this song features the bass part!”

“Seriously?” I knew that doo-wop had bass parts in them, but I’d never come across one that featured the bass; no wonder he was so excited. “What’s it called?”

“Broo-” He cut himself off with a shake of his head. “It’s called ‘Blue Moon’, and the bass goes crazy in it!”

“Well…good for you,” I said, not sure what else to say. “Will you be singing with Kawahara and the others?”

“Yeah!” He raised a fist in victory. “Ka-kun’s already tried the lead part; in fact, we’re all pumped to practice it!”

“Well, good for you,” I repeated, still not sure what else to say. “Do your best, then.”

“Yes, senpai!” He bowed once before retreating further into the clubroom. Kotomi and I exchanged amused smiles before following him in.

“Ah! Tomoya! And Kotomi-chan!” Rie greeted as she hurried over to us. “I’m sorry about Gouda-kun; he was so excited that I didn’t have the heart to tell him to calm down.” She moved past to me to Kotomi and smiled brightly up at her. “I’m happy to see you, nee-san.”

“Th-Thank you.  I am happy to see you as well, i-i-imo-mouto-san,” Kotomi replied, and it was obvious that she was trying to restrain herself.

Rie, however, busted down that wall by grabbing Kotomi in a hug. “I’m…very happy to see you, n-nee-san,” she sniffed.

I noticed the smiles from everyone in the room as Kotomi wrapped her arms around her younger schoolmate, tears trickling from her eyes. “Thank you, Rie-chan.”

“If it’s okay,” I said quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment, “I’m going to head to the library to take care of another song request.”

“Okay,” Rie said, slowly releasing Kotomi. “I’ll check on you in a bit.”                                                                      

“May I come with – oh,” Kotomi said, then blushed. “Never mind.”

I smiled knowingly, then gave my two favorite girls a wink as I headed out the door.

I caught myself humming ‘Gloria’ as I headed to the library and chuckled to myself; it was a pretty catchy tune. I slid the door open to the library, made my way over to my usual spot, settled in, and began my search. “Let’s see…since most of these songs are about relationships, it shouldn’t be too hard to find one about a lost one…”

I must have been pretty engrossed in my work, because I jumped when a pair of hands settled on my shoulders. “Oh! I’m sorry!” a familiar voice squeaked behind me.

D-Don’t worry about it,” I stammered, turning to face my girlfriend while trying to get my heart rate back to normal. “I was really caught up in what I was doing and didn’t hear you come in. Are you here to check up on me?”

“I am,” Rie replied, moving to sit next to me. “You’ve been gone for almost an hour, and…well, I was starting to miss you.”

“Aw, I’m sorry,” I said, touched by her words. “If I had known, I would have set a timer or something.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied, shaking her lovely head and sending her curtain of blue to Full Hypnosis. “Have you found any good songs?”

“Plenty,” I said with a smirk, “but only one that I think would work.” I turned and pointed to one song on the screen in particular. “It’s called ‘Since I Don’t Have You’ by the Skyliners; it talks about not having anything without your loved one.”

“How sad,” she breathed as she read the lyrics on the screen. “Do…Do you think she’s singing about you?”

My head whipped around to stare at her in surprise; had I told her at some point without thinking? “M-Me?”

She gave me an awkward smile. “Kotomi-chan told me about what kind of song she’d asked you to look for, but she didn’t tell me why.”

“Same here,” I grunted. “All right…yeah, I’ve considered that she’s wanting to sing about me…or us, maybe.” After several seconds of silence, I felt her gaze on the side of my head and looked over to find her studying me. “What?”

“I’m so lucky,” she said with a trembling voice. “You’re so thoughtful and giving.”

“What do you mean? I’m actually pretty selfish, really.”

“No, you’re not,” she declared with another shake of her head. “Look at what you did just yesterday; you saved someone from committing suicide. When you remembered that it was partly your fault that she was so alone, you took responsibility and apologized to her. Now, you’re looking for a song for her even though it makes you uncomfortable.” She scooted closer and laid her hand over mine. “I’m so lucky to have a man like you.”

Suddenly uncomfortable, I started to turn back toward the computer. “May…Maybe I should get back to-”

“Tomoya.”

“Y-Yeah…?” I asked, hesitantly looking over at her.

I found my head gently taken and, before I knew what was happening, she pressed her lips against mine. I had never been kissed on the mouth before, and the feeling was…overwhelming. My eyes closed on their own, causing me to feel the sensation even more. It was…amazing.

I felt her pull away, and my eyes slowly opened to her gazing at me with a gentle smile and misty eyes. “I’m…sorry, Tomoya; my body kinda moved on its own. I couldn’t help it.”

“It’s, uh…fine,” I replied, still a little out-of-it. “We’ve been dating for a while…it was bound to happen sometime.”

“True,” she said with a quiet giggle. “Are you mad at me? For kissing you, I mean?”

I took a deep breath to clear my head. “No, not really. More like surprised…a good surprise, I mean”

“I’m glad,” she said, giggling again. “I’d hate to think that I ruined our relationship with a kiss.”

“You didn’t,” I said. “I think we need to be careful, though; that was really…intense.”

She ducked her head. “It certainly was. It took everything I had to pull away.”

“Should-” I coughed as my throat suddenly tightened. “Should we get back to work for now?”

“I’ll head back to the clubroom,” she said, getting up from her seat; she seemed to do so reluctantly. “I don’t want to be a distraction.”

“Okay,” I said, feeling a genuine, happy smile cross my face. “I’ll be there in a bit.”

She gazed at me a little longer, her hands crossed over her chest, before turning and running from the room.

I chuckled softly as I turned back to the computer, then paused, touching my fingers to my lips as I remembered the feeling...

***

“So, this is it?” Kotomi asked as she studied the sheet of paper.

“Yup,” I replied as I gave Rie a glance, holding back a smile when she quickly looked to the floor, red-faced. “There might be better ones out there, but…”  I shrugged with my hands. “I did my best.”

“Oh, I did not mean to sound ungrateful!” my friend exclaimed, laying a hand on my shoulder. “Thank you so much! This may not express my feelings perfectly, but I understand that they were originally meant to express someone else’s, and I accept that. Thank you so much for your help!”

“You’re…welcome?” I said, trying to catch up with her words; the girl was a walking dictionary. “Just so you know, the song was originally sung by a guy, so it might seem a little weird to you.”

“I will be alright,” she said, withdrawing her hand. “Thank you again.”

“I’m glad to help,” I said awkwardly, remembering her likely reason for wanting the song.

As Kotomi left the clubroom, I felt a gentle touch to my arm and looked down to my girlfriend. “She seems…happy,” she said.

“Looks like she’s okay with it,” I replied. “I’m a little worried, though; I’ve never heard her sing before, so I don’t know if she can.”

“Anyone can sing, Tomoya,” she said in a scolding tone. “It’s just a matter of how well they can sing. Well, and how motivated they are.”

I turned my attention inward as one of the other club members pulled Rie away to talk about something. Was that my real problem? Was it that I could sing, but just wasn’t motivated to? And if it was a matter of motivation, was it just about singing? I shook my head as I realized that I just wasn’t motivated in general…well, until I met Rie.

I watched her as she talked to the other student. I liked how straight her hair was, and how she let it fall over her shoulders and down her chest, while letting the rest of it fall down her back. I admired the shape of her neck; it looked so…graceful. She just…She looked like some sculptor took a lot of time and care to create the perfect female form. I liked the innocent look in her eyes as she said something that the other girl apparently found funny. From what I’d seen, she didn’t – no, couldn’t – hate anyone; it was like she wasn’t capable of hate.

I liked how she stood so…proper, unlike me. I looked down at my slouch and tried to straighten up; maybe I’d never be a refined as she was, but I could at least stop looking like a Neanderthal.

“Hey, Okazaki-senpai; you okay?”

I blinked and found Kawahara looking at me. “Yeah…Sorry, just lost in thought.”

“It looked like it,” he said with a smile. “Hey, you mind if my group skips out early? We want to go to Sunakawa’s place to practice; his folks have some pretty sweet sound gear.”

I shrugged. “I don’t mind, but I’m not the club prez. Check with Nishina.”

“Right.” He pointed both his index fingers at me in some weird gesture before heading over to talk with my girl.

“Hey, Okazaki.”

I turned, and… “Hey, Sugisaka. It’s been a while.”

“Yeah.” she tapped at the ground with her toe, seeming more subdued than usual. “I, uh…just wanted to thank you for finding that song for me.”

“Glad to help,” I said as I studied her expression. “How’re things going? Rie says you asked her to help with the song.”

“Yeah. I think we should be ready by the beginning of next week.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Yeah. Listen, I know this is going to sound weird, but I’d like you around when I sing to Andou.”

“Andou?” I repeated. “Is that the guy you like?”

She nodded timidly. “Yeah. Andou Hideo; he’s…a third-year in Class C.”

“You’ve sure done your homework,” I said with admiration.

“Y-Yeah… I just hope it pays off.”

“It will,” I said confidently. “You’re the kind who knows what she wants and then goes after it with your whole heart. Andou doesn’t stand a chance.”

She finally let a smile appear. “Thanks, Okazaki; hearing you say that…I really think I can do it.”

“Go get ‘em,” I said, lightly bopping her on the shoulder. As she headed off toward Hattori I let myself worry a little; Andou might not have been interested in a girlfriend since, as a third-year, he would be busy preparing for university like all the others…except me, of course. But maybe it was time for me to get serious about my future? After all, if I wanted Rie – or any other girl for that matter – in my life long-term, I’d need to be able to give her a reason to stick around.

Was it too late to turn my life around?

***

“Tomoya? Are you okay?”

“Hm?” I looked to see Rie studying me with a worried look as we left the school grounds. “Yeah, I’m fine; just got a lot on my mind.”

“Can…I help you with it?”

I scratched my head. “I dunno; I’m not even sure where to begin…or where the beginning is.”

“Well…if I can help you in any way, please let me know,” she told me. “If you’re upset, I want to help make it better.”

“Thanks, Rie.” I sighed heavily. “I guess the biggest one is graduation; because of my situation with my dad, my grades are terrible. Before I met Kotomi, I was just getting by, doing the bare minimum. But now that we’re together…” I trailed off, unable to finish my thought.

“Are you afraid that you won’t amount to much after graduation?” she asked softly.

Shame kept me from saying anything, so I just nodded.

She stopped me with a touch to my arm. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve gone through,” she said, and I could hear the compassion in her voice. “I wish I could go back in time and make everything better for you.”

“Thanks,” I grunted. “I dunno; at this point, most of it is my own fault. I guess I’m pretty weak, letting my dad and Kyou and pretty much everyone else control me.” I gave her a humorless smile. “You sure you want to be with a loser like me?”

“I don’t think you’re a loser, Tomoya,” she said, shaking her head. “I know you’re hurt, but I’ve seen how amazing you can be. I think I’ve seen your true heart, the one you’ve hidden because of your dad and Kyou and others like them.”

I snorted. “All I’ve done is look up some music and stuff like that.”

“Tomoya, think for a minute,” she said, giving me a stern look. “You keep talking about things you’ve done; I’m talking about the kind of person who does these things in the first place. What would you think of a person who researches for hours for a person he barely knows, talks a person out of committing suicide while taking responsibility for his actions at the same time?”

I mulled it over, then grimaced; she had a point. “I’d think he’s pretty cool,” I admitted.

“Please give yourself grace, Tomoya; you’re a better man than you think you are.”

“But what about my grades? Let’s say our relationship…moves forward,” I said awkwardly as we started to walk again. “Would you really want to be with some low-wage salaryman?”

“I don’t think you’ll end up as one of those,” she said. “We just have to think about how we can bring up your grades.”

I snorted again. “I’ve been wasting my life for the last two years. How am I supposed to make that up, plus this one, in one year?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted…with a smile? “But I’ll bet there are a couple of people at school we could talk to.”

“Hm…Wait…’we’?”

“Yes, ‘we’,” she said. “I can’t go back in time and fix things, but I can help you fix them now.”

“But why would you go to all the trouble?” I protested. “You have your studies, the Chorus Club…you’re pretty busy, aren’t you?”

She stopped me again with another touch to my arm. “Tomoya?”

“Yeah?”

She looped her arms behind my neck and gently but firmly pulled my head toward hers. The next thing I knew we were kissing again, and I was flying with Rie on a big, fluffy, white cloud, birds flying by on either side, and-

She broke the kiss and looked into my eyes; I felt like she could see all the way to my soul. “That’s why, Tomoya.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen: Nishina Rie**

“Hmmm.”

I shifted nervously in my seat as Koumura studied me from behind his desk. Next to me sat Rie, hands folded perfectly in her lap. “So we were hoping that you would have a suggestion or recommendation, sensei.”

“Hmmm,” my old homeroom teacher grunted. “And are you truly interested in improving yourself in this way, Tomoya-san? Or is your pretty girlfriend pressuring you into this?”

“No way!” I blurted before I could catch myself. “I mean; no, sir.” I cast a wary glance over at Rie. “We talked about it, and I realized that I’ve messed up my future completely, and I want to do something about it before it ends up affecting….well, others.”

“Hmmm? So, what are you hoping that I can do for you?”

“We were hoping that you’d have any suggestions or recommendations that could help Tomoya improve his grades and earn a recommendation from the school,” Rie said with an earnest expression.

“But he is almost two years behind in his studies,” Koumura pointed out. “He would have a lot of work to do to catch up.”

“Summer’s coming up in about a couple of weeks,” she pressed. “What if he crammed during the summer?”

“Hmmm.” My old teacher shifted his attention to me. “Do you wish to attend university?”

“I’m…not sure…” I replied. “Right now, I don’t see any reason to; I got here on a basketball recommendation, and…yeah.”

“I see…hmmm.” He leaned back in his chair and slowly crossed his arms.

After a couple of minutes, Rie and I looked at each other, and I wondered if we were thinking the same thing; namely, that he had fallen asleep.

Finally, however, he straightened up again…well, as much as he could, at least. “All right, Tomoya-san; if you are as serious about this as you seem, I will confer with the rest of the faculty and staff and see if we can work something out.”

“R-Really?” I said, feeling my chest tighten. “That…That would be great...”

“See, Tomoya?” Rie chirped as she took my hand in hers. “It’s like I told you; they’re here to help us!”

I stared dumbly at my former mentor before hopping to my feet to bow repeatedly. “Thanks a lot, old man! You won’t regret this!”

“Don’t get your hopes too high, young Tomoya-san,” he warned. “You and Sunohara-san have quite the reputations around here; don’t expect any easy solutions.”

“We’ll be grateful for any help you can give, sensei,” Rie said as she bowed. “Thank you for your time.”

“My pleasure, dear,” he replied with a smile that made me think of a grandfather. “Just make sure you keep him in line, okay?”

“I’ll…do my best,” she said while giving me an awkward glance.

***

“I’m sorry, Tomoya! I didn’t know how to respond to him!”

“It’s fine, Rie,” I chuckled. “I think I’ve caused enough trouble to deserve it.”

“Well, I don’t,” she huffed. “You’re a good man who’s had a rough life; you don’t deserve to be talked about like that. It’s like kicking a man when he’s down. ‘Keep him in line’…” she huffed again.

“Well, I’m not ‘down’ any more, thanks to you,” I said, wrapping my arm around her to give her a kiss on her warm cheek. “It’s really weird, but I feel like I have a purpose now. A…reason to improve.”

“That’s good,” she said as I opened the door to the old school building. “Everybody needs a purpose.”

I glanced over at her several times as we headed down the hall and up the stairs.

She caught me a couple of times and giggled. “D-Do you like what you see?” she asked, surprising me; she didn’t normally talk like that.

“Absolutely,” I admitted before I could stop myself. “You’re beautiful,”

“T-Tomoya!” I thought her face would catch on fire. “Th-Thank you,” she said before falling quiet for the rest of the walk.

I slid the door open and grinned at her bashful expression as I let her into the clubroom first, only to almost run into her as she stopped before a nervous Sugisaka. “Hey, uh, Rie? Do you think we could be ready by next Tuesday? I want to catch him before summer break.”

I enjoyed the thoughtful look on my girl’s face. “I…think we’ll be ready by then, sure. Are you going to be okay?”

“No; I think I’m going to throw up,” Sugisaka admitted. “But I need to do this or it’ll eat me up all summer.”

“You’re really brave,” I interjected with admiration. “I don’t think many other students could do what you want to do.”

“I’m not sure that I’ll be able to do it,” she said. “That’s part of the reason I want you there; to keep me from running.”

“Okay, but I’m not going to try to stop you if you’re carrying books,” I quipped.

That seemed to put her at ease as she laughed while Rie watched her with a puzzled look. “Thanks, Okazaki; I needed that. I’ll…make sure I’m not carrying any books while I’m singing.”

“Then you can count on me,” I said, thumping my chest.

As Rie and Sugisaka headed off to talk with Hattori, another body broke off from the mass in the clubroom. “Good afternoon, Tomoya-kun.”

“Hey, Kotomi-chan,” I greeted. “I’m surprised to see you around so many people. You doing okay?”

She nodded, albeit hesitantly. “It…has been challenging, but if I am to perform my song, I will need backup, which will require people.”

“That makes sense,” I said, trying to hide my smile. “Do you have your backup yet?”

She nodded, more confidently this time. “Gouda-kun has offered to sing the bass, and Sunakawa-kun has agreed to sing the tenor part.”

“Maybe Kawahara could basically loan you his backup,” I suggested. “You already have two of them, after all.”

She appeared to think it over. “That…is a good idea,” she concluded. “But…I do not know Kawahara-kun. Would you be willing to introduce me to him?”

I blinked; had she really just asked me to introduce her to another person? “Are you sure? I’d be willing to talk to him for you.”

Her pigtails flapped with the shake of her head. “No. I cannot learn how to interact with others if I keep hiding behind you.”

I was floored; while I was glad to see her putting herself out there, another part of me missed the girl that I’d met in the library what seemed like a lifetime ago. “S-Sure…follow me.” I led her over to the second-year, who stood by the chalkboard talking with another student and introduced the two.

“Ah, Ichinose-senpai!” he gushed after she made her request. “Thank you for trying to be considerate, but you can ask them yourself; they’re not ‘mine’, we just work together really well.”

“Would you be willing to introduce me to them?” Kotomi asked. “I am new to this and do not know many of the club members.”

As Kawahara giddily led her over to his teammates, I breathed a sigh of relief; frankly, I was starting to get tired of putting out other people’s fires. Was there any way I could get a paid vacation or something?

“Tomoya?”

“What?” I snapped before realizing who it was.

“I-I’m sorry,” Rie stammered. “I…I-I didn’t mean to catch you at a bad time.”

“No. No, I’m sorry,” I said, then slapped my cheeks to snap myself out of my self-pity. “Guess I’m feeling a little worn out.”

“I’ll bet,” she said sympathetically. “With all the songs you’ve been finding as well as just helping out in general, I feel like you’re doing more for the club than I am…”

“…and I’m not even a member,” I finished, then sighed. “I need to stop being stupid about this.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, wide-eyed.

I turned to face her fully. “Nishina-san; may I join the Chorus Club?”

She giggled, then for some reason started to tear up. “I-I’d love to have you,” she replied, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve.

“I still think I’d suck at singing, but I can still help with other stuff, like research.”

“You don’t have to sing if you don’t want to,” she said as she gave me a teary smile. “Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I acknowledged with a salute.

She giggled again, but then her expression turned serious. “You’ve already done so much more for the club than I ever have.”

“I, uh…” I rubbed the back of my neck; what was I supposed to say to that? “I’m, uh…just glad to help.”

She shifted her weight from foot to foot several times before looking up at me again. “Would…Would you follow me, please?”

I blinked. “Sure. Lead the way.”

It turned out that she just wanted to go out into the hallway; less noisy, I assumed, and relatively more private. “Tomoya?”

“Yeah, Rie?”

“I would like to go on another date with you.”

I couldn’t stop the smile that spread, not that I wanted to. “I’d like that. Anything in particular you want to do?”

“A movie?”

“You don’t sound too sure of yourself. What movie?”

She gave the name of a movie that had been released recently; I recognized it as a romance-type movie. “Would that be okay?”

“Well, it’s not really my thing,” I admitted, “but if you really want to see it, we can go, sure.”

I was sure that the stars in her eyes would make the near-two hours of sugary syrup worth it. “Oh, thank you Tomoya! I promise, you won’t be disappointed! I’ll make lunch!”

I suddenly found myself really looking forward to our date.

***

As we left the school grounds, we decided to have our date on the following Sunday. “That way, we’ll have plenty of time together, and…well…”

“What?” I asked, suddenly concerned.

“…nothing,” she finished meekly.

As we walked I watched her, puzzled, as she stared at the ground. When I couldn’t find any answers on her face, I gave up and went back to just walking with her.

“Tomoya?”

“Yeah?”

“Do…What do you think it would take for you and your dad to get along again?”

Where had that come from? Maybe it was due to her own situation? “I dunno,” I said, then sighed heavily. “I guess I haven’t really thought about it; we’ve been doing this for so long that it’s just become normal to me.”

“How sad.”

“What do you mean?”

She didn’t say anything immediately, so I looked over to see her biting at her lip. “Just…to see a family torn apart, little by little…it’s…it’s just painful to even hear about.”

“If it bothers you that much, I won’t talk about it ever again,” I offered.

“It’s not that!” she yelled, then covered her face. “I’m sorry!”

“It’s fine,” I said. “I can tell this means a lot to you.”

She stopped, so I stopped as well. “I don’t want to force you to get along with your dad,” she said so softly I could barely hear her. “I guess I just…I know what it’s like to feel alone, and I don’t want you to feel that way anymore.”

“But I’m not alone,” I countered. “I have you and Kotomi and-”

“It’s not the same,” she said, shaking her head. “Friends come and friends go, and you and I don’t have a guaranteed future. Family…mom and dad…brothers and sisters…they’re supposed to be our first connection to life…and the strongest.”

I wasn’t sure what she was getting at. “But my mom died when I was little. Half my ‘life’ was gone before I was old enough to know better.”

“Which is why you can’t let your relationship with your dad die!” she declared passionately. “Tomoya, have you considered that you’ve been floating because you’ve been cut off from life?!”

I was momentarily stunned into silence. “N-No, I haven’t,” I finally admitted. “I-It makes sense, though.”

“If there’s any way you and your dad could start to get along again, please do it,” she pleaded. “Not for me, not even for your dad, but…for yourself.”

“Could…we talk about something else?” I asked, feeling overwhelmed by all the emotions, both hers and mine. “I need a…break.”

“Oh!” she squeaked, her hands flying to her mouth. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to be so pushy!”

“You weren’t,” I said as calmly as I could. “It’s just that it’s a sore spot, and…yeah.”

She blinked at me with her large, beautiful eyes as she made the ‘zipping’ motion across her mouth. “I won’t bring it up again, but if you want to talk about it I’m here for you.”

We parted ways at our usual place, but her words replayed themselves in my mind:

_“…I’m here for you…”_

I suddenly had to grab my chest as it tightened more than it ever had before.

***

I slowly, quietly, opened the door to the house I shared with my dad….or my dad shared with me, really. As usual, he was passed out on the floor in front of the foot of the stairs.

I lifted my foot to step over him like I always did, but something made me pause. A voice…

_“If there’s any way you and your dad could start to get along again…”_

Rie’s words echoed in my head as I lowered my foot back to the floor, and I stood there, just…studying him. His cheeks were reddened, and the smell of booze was strong; I knew he drank to ease the pain of losing Mom, but I’d always known it as a piece of information, like one knows that 2+2=4. Watching him, however, his chest rising and falling with each breath, I actually stopped and imagined what it must have been like to lose Mom; to have her in his arms one day but to have her gone the next… I imagined if I went to school the next day only to find out the Rie had died…

He started to fidget, and I was about to bolt back out the door when I heard…a whimper? I squatted down to look more closely at his face, and could see that it was contorted into a look of pain. Moisture had started to gather in his tightly-shut eyes as well, and my heart sank; if he had been going through this ever since Mom had died…no wonder he worked so much and drank so much.

I straightened up again, wiping my hand across my eyes as I stepped over him to head up to my room. I stopped about halfway up the stairs and looked back at him; from where I stood, it suddenly looked like he was guarding the stairs. Did he sleep there to try to protect me?

I pulled off my clothes and changed into my nightclothes and fell into bed, but…sleep did not come easily.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty: Nishina Rie**

The following Tuesday, Sugisaka intercepted me as I tried to enter the Chorus Club room during lunch. “I-It’s time.”

I knew what she was talking about, but… “Could I eat first? I didn’t have much of a breakfast this morning.”

She jerked her head in an approximation of a shake. “I’ve gotta do this before I lose my nerve.”

I sighed. “All right, just let me put my stuff in here so I can eat afterward.”

As I headed to my usual spot to drop off my lunch I nodded in greeting at the small groups of students sitting in circles and eating together. Deep down, I liked how the Chorus Club was bringing people together who might not have met otherwise.

I left my lunch at the desk and headed back to find Sugisaka waiting nervously with her backup singers: Hattori and my girlfriend. I noticed that Rie held a portable stereo. “Lead the way, girls,” I said, gesturing to the door.

Sugisaka nodded a couple of times before abruptly turning and sliding the door open.

I moved to walk next to my girl. “What’s the stereo for? The music?”

She nodded with an unusually serious expression. “Daddy has a karaoke version of the song and let us borrow it.”

“That was nice of him,” I remarked. “So, do you think you’re ready? Do you think she’s ready?”

“I think she’s as ready as she can be,” Rie sighed. “And Rei-chan and I have practiced hard and will do our best for her.”

“That’s good. Hey, do you know where Andou is? It’s lunch time, after all.”

Rie nodded again. “Rei-chan’s been keeping an eye on him. She came back when he started eating his lunch; that’s why we need to hurry.”

“Got it.”

I kept any further questions to myself as we made our way up to the third-year floor and headed to 3-C. As we ascended the stairs I started to feel anxious; what if he turned her down? How would she handle the rejection? I shook my head to clear it as I realized that I was worrying over things I couldn’t control.

We reached the third floor and Hattori hurried ahead, and I realized that she was checking to see if Andou was still in the classroom. She returned a few moments later. “Wait here, Okazaki,” she ordered. “The rest of us will go on ahead.”

“Okay,” I said, not sure how I was supposed to help from so far away. I then watched as the girls continued down the hall, stopping across from the door to 3-C, where Rie put the stereo in the windowsill as Hattori headed into the classroom. Less than a minute later she came back out, with Andou following her. I didn’t know much about the guy other than which class he was in, so I had no idea how he’d react to being sung to.

Apparently he knew Sugisaka somehow, because he got a big smile when he saw her that quickly turned to confusion at the sight of the girls with her. I watched as Rie led him to a spot across from the trio and, by her hand gestures, apparently asked him to stay there. She then took her place with Hattori behind Sugisaka and pressed a button on the stereo.

I could feel myself start to sweat lightly as the music started, and I realized that I was anxious for my new friend; I really wanted her to succeed.

Even as far away as I was, I could hear her clearly:

 _*“The night we met I knew I needed you so,_  
_And if I had the chance I’d never let you go,  
So won’t you say you love me,_  
_I’ll make you so proud of me._  
_We’ll make ‘em turn their heads every place we go…”*_

My gaze shifted from the trio of girls to Andou, who stood with his mouth agape; apparently he hadn’t been expecting the song. I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall with a smile as the girls clapped, twirled, and stomped at certain points in the song. A small crowd started to gather as the song progressed, but I could still see the girls just fine.

Finally the song ended, and Sugisaka approached Andou as Rie shut off the stereo. I watched as Sugisaka spoke quickly but briefly a few hands gestures accompanying her words. Finally she clasped her hand in front of her chest and looked up at him hopefully.

Understandably, his response wasn’t as animate; he rubbed the back of his neck, gesturing with his free hand as he spoke with an awkward grin. My smile broadened as I imagined what must have been going through his mind.

My smile fell, however, as he lowered his hands to his sides with a look of regret. As he took a step away from Sugisaka and bowed deeply, I saw Rie waving me over frantically. “Damn…” I got to them as Andou went back into his classroom, still bowing repeatedly as Sugisaka grabbed onto Hattori. “What happened?”

“He…already has a girlfriend,” Rie said sadly as she rubbed her friend’s back. “She goes to another school.”

“Damn…” I muttered again. “I…didn’t know.”

My voice must have drawn her attention, because Sugisaka looked up at me from Hattori’s shoulder and, to my surprise, reached out to me, falling against my chest in a mess of tears.

“Let’s…Let’s go back to the clubroom,” Rie suggested.

Sugisaka wouldn’t let go of me, so I ended up carrying her on my back all the way back to the clubroom. The minute we got back I heard a collective gasp, and nearly every girl in the room hurried up to me, asking questions about Sugisaka. Eventually, we got her off my back and they hurried her over to a group of chairs, where they held her and talked quietly.

I must have looked upset, because I felt a gentle touch to my arm and glanced down to find Rie next to me. “Are you okay, Tomoya?”

“I feel awful,” I admitted. “I feel like this is my fault; Andou’s in my grade, so I could’ve found out if he was dating anyone.” I threw up my hands in defeat. “It’s like she’s another victim of me being a delinquent.”

“I don’t think so,” she replied softly. “But I think I understand why you’d feel that way.”

I was about to say something more, but I was interrupted by the door sliding open behind us, and Kotomi entered, followed by Kawahara’s group plus one girl. “Ah! Tomoya-kun!” she greeted. “I was hoping to see you here!”

“I’m not sure where else I’d be,” I quipped.

She angled her head with a blink. “It was my understanding that Sugisaka-chan would be propositioning her crush today. Has she done that yet?”

I nodded, feeling lifeless. “Yeah, we just got back from it.”

“It…appears that it did not go well,” she said softly.

“He already had a girlfriend from another school,” Rie said. “But he was very apologetic when he turned her down.”

“How terrible,” Kotomi said, looking like she was about to cry herself. “Well, I was hoping to perform my song, but…”

“You’re ready already?” I asked, amazed. What was it about the Chorus Club that its members could get so much done in so little time?

“We are,” she replied with a small nod. “We have been working hard on it at my house, and it is not a difficult song.”

“Yeah, sorry Kotomi-chan,” I said, laying a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe tomorrow you could…wait a minute…” I gave the gears in my head a moment to turn some more. “If she hears your song, then maybe she wouldn’t feel so alone in her sadness.”

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Rie said. “I…just don’t know if it would work.”

“I’ll take responsibility,” I said, thumping my chest. “I feel like it’s partly my fault she got rejected.”

“But it’s not your-”

“I know, Rie,” I interrupted, “but she’s sad, Kotomi-chan has a song that talks about loss, so…let’s give it a try. If you’re okay with it,” I said to my childhood friend.

“If it will help Sugisaka-chan, then I will do whatever it takes,” Kotomi replied with a heavy voice and teary eyes.

As sneakily as we could, we set up the sound system for Kotomi and her group. Then without warning anyone, I pressed the button to start the accompaniment track.

Several pairs of eyes popped toward us as the music started, and widened when they saw who was behind the main microphone.

I held my breath, concerned; I’d never heard my old friend sing before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

She drew her mouth close to the microphone:

 _*”I don’t have plans and schemes,_  
_And I don’t have hopes and dreams,_  
_I don’t have anything  
Since I don’t have you…”*_

I listened, slack-jawed, as Kotomi sang. What hit me wasn’t that she was singing the notes correctly; what hit me was that I could feel the pain behind her words. As I dabbed at my eyes with my sleeve I glanced at the other club members to find them also wiping their eyes, many of them holding each other. I felt a strong grip on my arm, so I wrapped my arms around Rie’s trembling form. “It…It sound like she’s crying, Tomoya,” she shuddered as our friend struggled with the high notes. I searched out and found Sugisaka, staring at Kotomi, with her hands over her mouth and tears streaming down her cheeks along with the recognizable shakes that came with grief.

As the song ended Kotomi finally broke down, letting go of years of pain, and barely a moment passed before Sugisaka was with her, holding her, crying with her.

I guess I’d made the right choice.

***

“I wanted to sing the song because of my parents,” Kotomi explained after most of the club had left for the day. “I miss them terribly and feel terrible for the last thing I said to them before they died.”

“What happened to them?” Rie asked.

“They died in a plane crash when I was eight,” she sniffed. “I was never able to apologize to them for the horrible thing I said to them.”

“What did you say?” Sugisaka asked from her spot next to Kotomi. “I mean, as long as you don’t mind telling us.”

Kotomi closed her eyes, letting a couple of errant tears escape. “I told them that I hated them because they were going to be gone on my birthday.”

Many sympathetic gasps could be heard from the group.

“I could understand why you’d say that,” Rie said sadly. “You probably felt like you weren’t important enough to them to stay home for your birthday.”

Kotomi simply nodded as she blotted her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Thanks for sharing that with us,” Hattori said in an unusually gentle voice. “I feel like I understand you better now.”

“They shouldn’t have done that,” Gouda grumbled, surprising me; since he had been sitting behind me I didn’t realize he was there. “You should have been more important than anything else.”

“They were very important people,” Kotomi explained, still sniffling. “I understand now why they had to go, but…”

“But you didn’t then, and you still carry the pain of an eight-year-old,” I suggested.

Kotomi simply nodded. “I believe you are correct. That is why I needed to sing about loss and emptiness.”

“How do you feel now?” Rie asked.

“A little better,” she said. “I still feel sad, but being able to put words to my feelings has helped considerably.”

“Ichinose-senpai!” Gouda exclaimed as he shot to his feet. “Will you be at club after school?”

“O-Of course,” she replied, clearly surprised by his intensity. “It would be irresponsible to do otherwise. Why do you ask?”

“I would like you to hear the song that I have been working on with the guys!” Gouda nearly yelled; he was really fired up. “I don’t know if it’ll make you happy, but I hope that it’ll at least help you feel better!”

She blinked several times before she finally responded. “Then I will look forward to h-hearing it,” she replied timidly, and I could tell she was overwhelmed by our underclassman’s intensity. “Thank you very much.”

Gouda stood fixed for a moment longer before jerking his head in a nod and quickly heading to the clubroom door.

“What was that about?” Hattori chuckled. “I’ve never seen Hanzo so fired up before.”

“Hanzo?” I repeated. “Is that Gouda’s first name?”

She looked at me in disbelief. “Did you sleep through the class on ‘context’, Okazaki?”

“Probably,” I grunted. “I’ve spent most of the last two years asleep.”

“Oh.”

“I get what you’re saying, though; I probably didn’t need to ask that question,” I conceded.

“Th-That’s okay,” she stammered. “It’s…always good to be sure, right?”

“Can’t hurt,” I replied, confused by her about-face.

“Tomoya’s been through a lot in the last few years,” Rie said, laying a hand on my knee.

“Oh,” Hattori repeated. “Sorry; didn’t know.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said with a snort. “I’ve got a reputation to overcome, anyway.”

“With…” Sugisaka cleared her throat. “With as much as you’ve helped us, I’ll make sure everyone knows how cool y-you are.”

“Thanks, but you don’t have to,” I said, humbled.

“I know we don’t have to,” Hattori humphed. “But we’re going to anyway, so get used to it.”

I exchanged an amused look with Rie before returning my gaze to the other girls. “Yes, ma’am; whatever you say.”

***

The afternoon classes were pretty rough, and I figured it was due, in part, to Sugisaka’s rejection earlier in the day. I still blamed myself for not knowing about Andou’s girlfriend, and I was starting to wonder if I’d picked the wrong song for her.

I opened the door to the Chorus Club room with a heavy heart, and-

 _*“Bom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom_  
_Ba ba bom ba ba bom va dang a dang dang_  
_Va ding a dong dang Blue Moon,_  
_Blue Moon, Blue Moon…dit dit dit dit dit…”*_

“Whoooooooaaaaaa,” I gasped as Gouda’s mouth moved faster than I ever thought was possible for a human being. I’d heard the Marcel’s performance of the song, of course, but to hear it coming out of the mouth of one of my schoolmates…. “Awesome.”

I perked up even more as Kawahara started:

 _*”Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone,_  
_Without a dream in my heart,_  
_Without a love of my own…”*_

And the song continued to bounce along, and the idea of a man alone under the moon finding a girl to love made my chest tighten, and I found myself imagining Rie and I in that situation.

_*“…I heard somebody whisper, ‘Please adore me’…”*_

I could seriously hear her saying that.

By the end of the song, over half of the Chorus club was on their feet, dancing either by themselves or with others. I joined them in whooping, hollering and clapping for Kawahara and his group, but especially Gouda.

“That was amazing, wasn’t it?” Rie had to shout to be heard over the noise.

“No kidding!” I yelled back. “Gouda wasn’t kidding when he said the bass goes crazy!”

She laughed as Kawahara’s group bowed repeatedly, their faces aglow with pride.

“I can’t believe they liked it that much!” Kawahara gushed after things settled down. “Man, Gouda; you kicked ass!”

The bass’s laughter was contagious, sending us all to laughter with him. “That was a lot of fun!” he exclaimed. “I can’t wait to do that again!”

“Gouda-kun…”  A gentle voice somehow cut through the noise as Kotomi joined our group. “That was amazing; I did not know the human mouth could move that fast.”

“Th-Thank you, Ichinose-senpai,” he replied, bowing deeply. “Did it help you feel better?”

“Oh, it did! It sounded so lively, and the lyrics so hopeful…thank you for sharing it with us.”

“Y-You’re welcome,” he stammered. “I’m glad that it helped you feel better.”

“Oh, it did! It sounded-”

“Wait a minute!” I interrupted, bringing my hand down between them like a boxing referee. “You said that already.”

“Oh!” she chirped. “I guess I did!”

“Maybe we could sing it again?” Gouda asked, looking to Kawahara.

“Let’s hold off on doing that song again for a while,” he replied. “I like it too, but I think we’d wear it out if we sang it too much.”

“What about a recital?” Kotomi said, perking up. “Like the one I performed a while back?”

“Hey, that’s not a bad idea,” Sunakawa said, pointing at her; I wondered if he was one of her prior victims. “If we did it during lunch, we could sing our stuff a whole bunch of times since everyone’s usually moving around, right?”

“They’d probably stop to listen for a while…” I mused as I crossed my arms, “but once you started over they might move on. You know, went back to the first song.”

“Or they might stick around,” Rie suggested. “If they like what they hear, they’ll want to hear it again.”

“I dunno,” I said, scratching my jaw, “it sounds good, but would the others really enjoy it?”

“Oh, come on, senpai,” Kawahara said, nudging me. “Even if they don’t enjoy it, as long as we’re having fun it’s cool, right?”

I couldn’t argue with his logic. “Yeah, you’re right,” I chuckled. “But I’m not the club president.” I turned to Rie and blinked as I found her with an intense look. “Rie?”

“Let’s do it, Tomoya,” she declared, setting her jaw. “We’ll work on what we have and try to add a couple more songs if we can. I want to give our audience more variety.”

I looked back to the others’ smiles with one of my own. “You heard the lady; let’s do it.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One: Nishina Rie**

As I passed through the school gate the next morning, Kyou approached me with a stack of papers in her arms.

“’Morning, Kyou,” I greeted. “We haven’t talked in a wh-”

“Sorry, busy,” she interrupted as she handed me one of the papers. “I have to hand out a bunch of these.”

“O-Okay.” As she hurried off, I looked down at the paper in my hand.

 _‘Doo-Wop’ Concert_  
_Last Day Before Summer Break_  
_Near The Front Gate_  
_Free_

Around the words were a bunch of music symbols along with images of people singing. It had obviously been created on a computer using some kind of graphics software. “Pretty clever…but how did she know about this? And why doesn’t she just post them around the school?” I chalked it up as yet another of life’s mysteries as I pocketed the flyer.

I headed into the old school building and met Rie at the bottom of the stairs. “Good morning, Tomoya,” she greeted with a smile.

“G’morning,” I returned as I wrapped my free arm around her and gave her a squeeze; her giggle always helped me wake up.

“Yesterday was pretty exciting, wasn’t it?” she asked as he started up the stairs.

“Yeah,” I grunted, smiling at the memories. “It seemed kinda….surreal, though.”

“I know what you mean,” she said with another giggle. “It’s like a lifetime was packed into one day.”

“I think I get it,” I replied. “Hey, did you know that Kyou’s running around, handing out flyers about the concert?”

“Huh?”

As we got to the top of the stairs I carefully took the paper out of my pocket and handed it to her. “Here, read this.”

She accepted the paper and I smiled as I watched her scan its contents; she really had beautiful eyes, and I wished that I could just sit and study her beauty. We’d been so busy lately that I hadn’t had the time to stop and just look at her. I found myself really looking forward to our next date.

She handed the paper back to me with a puzzled look. “It looks like it was made on a computer, but I don’t know who made it,” she said as we started to walk again. “The information’s right, though. Strange.”

“Maybe a mysterious benefactor?” I suggested lightheartedly.

“It could be,” she said with a giggle as we continued down the hall.

“TOMOYA-KUN!”

Rie and I both jumped at the sudden intrusion and quickly looked to see Kotomi…running? …down the hall toward us. “K-Kotomi-chan?”

“Help!” she cried as she ran to hide behind me, nearly taking my arm off as she grabbed it to spin around behind me.

“What’s wrong?” Rie asked.

“He…He…” she panted.

“ICHINOSE-SENPAI!” We jumped again, snapping our gazes to see Gouda charging down the hall toward us. “Please, wait!”

My jacket started to vibrate, and I realized that Kotomi had started to tremble violently; what had Gouda done to scare her so much?

I gave him my best glare as he skidded to a stop in front of us, his eyes widening as he saw my expression; even though he was bigger than I was, I was still his upperclassman and still had my ‘delinquent’ status and wasn’t afraid to use them. “Gouda,” I intoned in my most menacing voice, “what did you do to Kotomi?”

He paled, as expected. What he did next, however, was completely unexpected; “FORGIVE ME, SENPAI!!” he yelled as he threw himself to the floor, nearly slamming his head against it as he bowed. “I did not mean to frighten you!”

The vibration on my jacket slowed, so I figured Kotomi was starting to settle down. “Get up, Gouda,” I snapped.

“YES, SENPAI!” he hollered, getting to his feet in the blink of an eye, causing me to take a step back with the abruptness of his movement.

“Gouda-san; are you okay?” Rie asked worriedly. “You seem…tense.”

We watched as he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before opening them again. “I apologize, Okazaki-senpai; I am…anxious.”

“We can see that,” my girl said. “Why are you anxious?”

Gouda tugged at his collar, and I could see sweat starting to form on his forehead. “May…May I speak with Ichinose-senpai…in private?”

The vibrations started to intensify. “No,” I said firmly. “She’s scared enough as it is.”

“But-”

“Whatever you have to say to her, you can say in front of us,” I told him. “We won’t tell anyone else…unless you hurt her.”

“No way!” he cried, waving his hands. “J-Just the opposite!”

I looked over my shoulder at my terrified friend. “Well, Kotomi-chan? Rie and I will be right here; will you hear him out?”

She looked into my eyes, and I could see the fear starting to fade. When she rapidly blinked several times I knew she was okay. “I…I will.”

I looked back to Gouda. “You heard her; say what you’re going to.”

We watched as he took several more deep breaths. “I-Ichinose-senpai…will…” he bowed so deeply and so quickly that I felt a rush of air. “WILL YOU GO ON A DATE WITH ME?”

My jaw dropped, and Rie and I looked at each other in disbelief. “What did you say?” I asked slowly.

He straightened again, and his face was red from his hairline to his neck. “A…A DATE!”

“Gouda, stop yelling!” I…well, yelled. “You’re scaring her.”

Several more breaths. “I…am sorry, Ichinose-senpai. I am…scared, too.”

“You are?” I blinked as Kotomi suddenly spoke up from behind me.

“Of course!” he said, his blush starting to fade. “After all, you are very beautiful and very smart…”

“Wh-What?!” Did I hear him correctly?

“…and…I am afraid you’ll reject me.”

“You…You think I am b-b-b-beautiful?” Kotomi said, finally stepping out from behind me, but only as far as to stand beside me.

“Of course you are,” Rie said with one of her trademark cute smiles. “You don’t think so?”

“I…have never thought about it,” Kotomi said, reaching up to touch her face as though she’d just discovered it.

“I…I think you are,” Gouda said, drawing our attention again. “I know I am not much to look at or very smart, but…please let me take you on a date, senpai.”

Kotomi looked over at me, and her confusion was as plain as day. “I…I-I do not know what to do, Tomoya-kun.”

“We’re going on a date next Sunday,” Rie said. “Maybe we could make it a double date?”

“That’s a good idea,” I replied, stroking my chin. “What about it, Kotomi-chan? You and Gouda and me and Rie?”

“I…We…” I felt sorry for the poor girl as she went from one lost expression to another. “May I have some time to think about it? I…have never been propositioned before.”

“OF COURSE!” Gouda exclaimed.

I gave him my second-best glare as I clenched my fists. “Gouda, I swear, if you scare her again…”

His face paled again. “U-Understood, senpai; my apologies. Ichinose-senpai, take as long as you need.”

“But don’t take too long,” I told Kotomi. “Rie and I are planning for next Sunday, so if we need to change our plans we’d like to know before too long.”

Her eyes lost focus for a moment. “That is reasonable.” She looked up at me, then to Gouda. “I will have an answer for you by this time tomorrow.”

“THANK-” Gouda started, then cleared his throat. “Thank you for your…consideration, Ichinose-senpai.” He quickly bowed once before hurrying back toward the Chorus Club room.

As he departed I turned to my old friend. “You okay?”

She gave a heavy sigh before answering. “I…am all right. I guess I was just…surprised.”

“Were you expecting this at all?” Rie asked as we started toward the clubroom ourselves.

She shook her head. “I entered the Chorus Club room with the intention of working on my song, but found Gouda-kun waiting for me. He bowed so suddenly that he frightened me.”

“And you thought to find Tomoya?”

“I…” she gave an anxious look at my girlfriend before nodding briskly, once. “He is the safest person I know. I know that, were I ever in trouble, he would come to my rescue…and he did.”

“Doesn’t look like you needed much in the way of protection, though,” I pointed out. “In fact, it looks like he’s applying for the position, now.”

“Position?” Kotomi asked, and I could even see the question mark over her head. “What do you mean?”

I gave her a lopsided smile. “The position of ‘protector’, of course.”

“Oh.” She cast her gaze to the floor. “I had always thought that you would protect me, Tomoya-kun.”

I blinked, turning her words over in my head. “I’m…not sure what to say to that. Thanks?”

“It means she values you highly, I think,” Rie observed. “Am I right, Nee-san?”

“That…” my genius friend trailed off as her eyes lost focus. “That would be correct,” she finally concluded.

“Then I guess I should feel honored, but we have people waiting of us in the clubroom, so I’ll work on feeling honored later.” I started down the hall, and I could hear Rie lightly jogging to catch up with me and take my hand.

I nearly jumped when I felt my other hand taken. “Is this okay?” Kotomi asked. “Just until we get to the clubroom? I am feeling…uncertain.”

I looked over at Rie, who simply smiled at me, so I shrugged. “Rie doesn’t seem to have a problem with it, so sure. But just until we get to the door; I understand you want my support, but I don’t want to cause any misunderstandings.”

“Okay.”

As promised, she held my hand right up to the clubroom door, then released it as I reached out to slide the door open. As we entered I saw Gouda look our way, then quickly look back to Kawahara, who appeared to be busy patting his shoulder.

As we made our way to the area of the room where the rest of the girls were, Rie tugged on my hand. “Hey, why don’t you ask Nee-san about the flyer?”

“The wha-oh! Right…” I touched Kotomi’s shoulder to get her attention as I pulled the paper from my pocket. “Hey Kotomi-chan, do you know anything about this?”

She gave me a puzzled look as she accepted the announcement from me. She briefly scanned it before a smile spread across her face. “Did Kyou-chan give this to you?”

“As a matter of fact, she did,” I replied. “Why, do you know something about this?”

She gave me a shy smile as she handed the paper back. “I…was so excited about the recital that I made this last night.”

“Looks like you decided when it would happen, too,” I said, giving her a mock glare.

“Oh, NO!” she cried, putting her hands to her face. “I did not mean to usurp your authority!”

“It’s fine, Nee-san,” Rie said kindly. “I hadn’t thought about a date for the concert, but I like the one you chose.”

“That is a relief,” Kotomi replied, her hands now clasped in front of her chest.

“Well, should we make it official?” I asked, raising my hands to clap them.

“Sure,” the club president said with a giggle.

I smiled down at her before turning my attention to the serious task of clapping. “Hey, everyone!” As soon as the room was quiet I continued. “Have any of you seen the flyers going around about our concert on the last day of school?”

A few hands went up.

“Yeah, well sorry about that; one of our members was so excited that she made that flyer. Is everyone okay with the last day? We’d be doing it during lunch.”

“When would we be able to eat?” a voice called out.

“Since we’re not all singing at once, you could just eat when you’re not singing,” I replied. “It’d be kinda like shifts.”

There was a lot of murmuring, but it sounded positive. “Sounds good, senpai,” Kawahara said, standing up. “I can’t speak for the others, but I can say that my group will be ready.” He looked over at the others in his group, who all nodded.

“We should get a list of what we’re each going to sing,” Hattori suggested. “That way we could come up with a schedule of who’s going to perform when.”

“I like that,” Rie said, stepping up beside me. “Would you all be okay with doing your songs on a rotation until lunch is over?”

“You mean once the last group is done, the first group comes back up?” Takahashi asked. “I’d be fine with that. I think each act should do all of their songs at once, though; our songs are so short that we wouldn’t have much time to eat if we switched out after every song.”

I could hear several grunts of agreement, so I looked over to Rie. “Well, boss?”

“That seems reasonable,” Rie agreed with a nod. “After all, some of us are with more than one group, right?”

The rest of us chuckled; it wasn’t unknown that the club president herself not only sang lead for one group, but as backup for a couple of others.

“So: One group at a time, sing all of your songs, and go back to the first group if everyone finishes before lunch ends,” I concluded. “Sound good?”

“We’ll just need the list so everyone knows what everyone’s doing,” Rie reminded us. “And if you have a preference when you want to sing, make a note of it on your song list, okay?”

We heard a lot of a sounds of agreement, quickly followed by quiet conversations among the groups. It was nice to hear everyone so happy.

I felt a hand slide into mine, and I smiled down at Rie. “Nice work, boss,” I told her. “Way to take charge.”

“I was so nervous,” she admitted. “But everyone seemed so excited, so I wanted to help make it a success.” Her eyes lost focus for a moment. “I guess that’s what good leaders do, huh?

“I hadn’t thought of that,” I said,  “but it makes sense; they give the orders, but then they work with the others to try to make whatever they’re doing a success.”

She giggled. “I never thought that the Chorus Club would get this big; I guess I unconsciously thought that it would be me, Nao, and Amane the whole year.”

“You don’t sound disappointed,” I observed.

She shook her head, sending her lovely carpet of blue swaying. “Not anymore. I’m so happy that I’ve done something that’s helped bring so many people together.”

As Rie spoke, I saw Kotomi approaching us, and I smirked as I saw Gouda tracking her with his eyes. “Tomoya-kun; I have come to a decision.”

“Good for you,” I said. “About what?”

“I…have decided to accept Gouda-kun’s proposal.”

I snorted, but managed to restrain the rest of my laughter. “You mean the date?”

She nodded solemnly; well, that was fast. “You and Rie-chan are going on a date this coming Sunday, are you not?”

“Yes, we are,” Rie confirmed.

“What are you planning?”

My girl and I looked at each other. “We’re going to see a movie, and then…did we plan anything after that?”

“No,” Rie said, her cheeks pinking. “It took everything I had just to ask you to the movie.”

I looked back to Kotomi. “I guess if you had anything you wanted to do, we could do that afterward.”

“I will talk with Gouda-kun. Excuse me.” With that, she headed over to the second year and said something to him. I had to restrain myself, when he yelled ‘YES!’ followed quickly by several bows as she shrunk away from him.

“He’s definitely…energetic, isn’t he?” I said, trying to rein in my temper.

“He is,” Rie agreed. “I don’t know much about him, but I have seen him around school and it seems like he’s usually…more mellow?”

“Maybe being able to sing got him excited?” I suggested. “He looked really fired up when he was singing ‘Blue Moon’ with the others.”

“’Bom ba ba bom’…” Rie sang, then giggled. “It’s a catchy song. I’ll bet that’s it; I can imagine being frustrated having a skill but not being able to use it.”

“Stop that,” I said with a fake scowl that I couldn’t hold as it faded to a smile. “You’re gonna make me start doing it; I’ve already got ‘Gloria’ stuck in my head.”

“Tomoya-kun, Rie-chan…” We turned to see Kotomi walking toward us. “I have conferred with Gouda-kun, and he approves of the arrangements but has requested a meal after the movie.”

I looked over at Rie. “We probably would have ended up doing that anyway, but…you okay with it?”

“I’m okay with it,” she replied with her trademark cute smile, “but I would like to make lunch for you, Tomoya.”

“A-Again? That would be great!”

“I…I will make something, too.” We looked over again to see Kotomi studying us. “It would be wrong for me-I mean, for Gouda-kun and I to freeload off of you.”

“You can cook-Oh, that right,” I amended, remembering our first meeting. “That sounds good; I’m sure Gouda would be happy.”

She blushed lightly but otherwise didn’t respond.

“Well, go ahead and do whatever you need to ,” I told Kotomi. “Rie and I’ll work on scheduling the date; you’re free all day Sunday, right?”

“I am,” she confirmed. “And Gouda-kun is as well; he informed me of this while we were speaking.”

“Wonderful,” Rie beamed. “This’ll make things a lot easier.”

“And don’t worry,” I said, laying a hand on my friend’s shoulder. “We’ll keep your…situation in mind. And Gouda’s…”

“Exuberance?” Kotomi offered.

“If you’re talking about his excitement, then yeah, that works,” I said, feeling a little stupid. “We’ll try to keep him in check.”

“Do not worry,” she said shaking her head. “I have had some time to become accustomed to him. As he stated earlier, he is scared as well, so I do not believe that he will do anything untoward.”

“That’s….good?” I said lamely. “Listen Kotomi-chan; could you cut your IQ in about half when talking to me?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind,” I said as Rie giggled. “Just…keep being you.”

“I will do my best,” she replied solemnly.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Kotomi**

I checked my watch as I waited outside the movie theater. Our plan was to meet at 9:30 AM to see the movie’s 10 AM showing, then have a slightly late lunch. I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t late, so I shot for 9:00 and succeeded, much to my annoyance.

Gouda showed up a few minutes after I did, at around 9:15. I waved when he saw me, but dropped my hand when I saw him keeping what appeared to be a safe distance from me. “Gouda, get over here,” I said. “I don’t bite.”

He headed my way, and as he got closer I noticed that he was dressed much better than I was; while I had on a white button-up shirt tucked into my pair of dark jeans, he was dressed in his school uniform, and it looked like it had been ironed. “G-Good morning, Okazaki-senpai.”

“Morning,” I returned. “You okay?”

“I…I will be, senpai,” he replied somewhat stiffly.

I grimaced. “You don’t have to end everything you say to me with ‘senpai’ you know. You pissed me off when you were scaring Kotomi, but now that I understand better, you can relax. Just call me ‘Okazaki.”

“Thank you, sen-” he cut himself off to take several deep breaths. “I am very nervous.”

“I can see that.”

“I feel like I am not good enough for Ichinose-senpai, and yet…”

“Why’d you ask her out, then?”

His expression brightened. “She is very beautiful and very smart, and…I want to get to know her better.”

“Why?”

He looked over at me with a puzzled look. “’Why’ what?”

“Why do you want to get to know her better?”

“I…am not sure,” he admitted. “There’s something about her beyond her beauty and intelligence that…calls to me. I am sorry, but that’s the best way I can explain it,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

I mulled over his words. “Okay, fair enough. It’s an honest answer, at least.”

“Thank you.”

“Ah! Tomoya-kun, Gouda-kun!” We turned almost as one to see Kotomi approaching, Rie with her; I smiled as I saw that they were both carrying bags. “Good morning.”

“’Morning, Kotomi-chan,” I returned.

“G-Good morning, Ichinose-senpai!” Gouda greeted with a bow so deep it made my back hurt. “I hope you are well!”

“I-I am well, thank you,” she replied.

“’Morning, beautiful,” I greeted as Rie made her way to my side, taking my arm as I took the bag from her.

“Good morning, handsome,” she replied with a slight redness to her cheeks.

Anything else we were going to say was interrupted by a strangled cry, and my gaze snapped to see Gouda, standing ramrod-straight, with Kotomi holding his arm. “Am I doing this incorrectly?” she asked with her usual wide-eyed innocence.

“I...don’t think he was expecting that,” Rie said carefully.

Kotomi looked down at her arms, still wrapped around one of his, before looking up to his sweating face. “Are you all right, Gouda-kun? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

All the poor kid could manage was a squeak; surprising, coming from a guy with as deep a voice as his.

“Yeah, I think you’re making him uncomfortable,” I said while trying to keep from laughing.

“Oh! I am sorry!” she cried, releasing his arm. He immediately made a noise that sounded like *WHOUF*, and I realized that he must have been holding his breath.

“Maybe take things one step at a time?” Rie suggested helpfully. “Holding each other might be a bit much right now.”

“I-I understand,” Kotomi said, watching with worried eyes as Gouda took several deep breaths with his head between his knees. “I am sorry, Gouda-kun; I did not mean to overwhelm you.”

“It’s fine,” he said, raising a hand. “Like Nishina-san said, let’s take it a step at a time…okay?”

“May…Maybe I should go,” she said, turning as she spoke. “I do not wish to ruin everyone’s good time.”

“Ichinose-senpai!” Gouda cried out in a panicked tone as he quickly straightened. “My…My ‘good time’ would be ruined if you left!”

Kotomi stopped in her tracks. “R-Really? Even after I made you uncomfortable?”

“Please, Ichinose-senpai; I am sorry for reacting the way I did!” He slammed out another bow. “Please…don’t go.”

She gave me a worried look, but I just smiled and indicated her date with my eyes. “V-Very well; I will stay. I…promise to conduct myself more appropriately from now on, though I admit I have a lot to learn.”

“Me, too,” he said. “We’ll take this one step at a time; is that okay?”

She blinked slowly at him. “Okay.”

“Great,” I said, trying to politely interrupt. “Now that that’s settled, can we go inside? We’re cutting it pretty close, here.”

“Tomoya!” Rie said in a scolding tone. “But…you’re right. Would it be okay for us to go in, now?”

“O-Of course!” Gouda exclaimed, then looked over at Kotomi, who nodded with a shy smile. “O-Of course!”

I snorted as I shook my head. “This’ll be interesting,” I murmured to Rie as we led our group into the theater.

“I know what you mean,” she murmured back. “I may end up watching them more than the movie.”

“I guess it’ll be entertaining one way or the other,” I decided, causing her to giggle.

Buying the tickets and the food went off without a hitch, and we soon found ourselves seated in the theater…sort of.

“I will sit on the aisle; it will allow me to protect you,” Gouda insisted.

“I…I am sorry,” Kotomi replied. “I am not comfortable sitting in the middle of a row; I will feel crowded.”

I could tell that Gouda didn’t want to argue with her, but he also wanted to be able to protect her, so… “Gouda,” I said from my seat next to Rie, “you’re sitting next to me. I know you want to protect Kotomi, so you’ll just have to…heighten your awareness or something.” I had two reasons for the arrangement; One, I wanted Gouda next to me so I could punch him if he tried anything funny with my friend and Two, to keep Kotomi from potentially trying anything funny with me.

Gouda simply nodded once. “Understood. Thank you.” He quickly slid into the row and settled into the seat next to mine, and Kotomi sat on his other side.

“Thank you, Tomoya,” I heard Rie whisper. “I think you handled that really well.”

“I tried,” I whispered back.

I could feel Kotomi glancing at me repeatedly as I talked quietly with Rie as we waited for the previews to start. I was hoping that talking with my girl would give the other half of our double-date time to get to know each other better.

Apparently, Rie noticed. “Tomoya, you seem…distracted. Are you okay?”

I sighed. “Can you see what they’re doing?”

“Why?”

“I feel like Kotomi’s been watching us the whole time we’ve been talking.”

She giggled softly. “Well, that’s probably because she’s been watching us the whole time we’ve been talking…at least as far as I’ve been able to see.”

I sighed again, more heavily this time. “She’s supposed to be talking with Gouda,” I said through clenched teeth.

“It looks like his eyes are rolled back into his head right now.”

I quickly turned to find my junior exactly as she described him. “Hey, Gouda.” I nudged him in the side; it was like elbowing a brick wall. “Wake up; you’re ignoring your date.”

“Huh?” He blinked, his eyes returning to their usual place. “I-I’m sorry; nerves.”

“If it helps, Gouda-kun, I am anxious as well,” Kotomi admitted.

“Really?” he exclaimed, whipping his head to look at her. “H-How can you be nervous? You’re so beautiful and smart and-”

“Different,” she finished for him.

“Huh?”

“I am aware that I lack social skills due to my…difference,” she admitted, shifting her gaze to her lap.

I looked back at Rie, who simply smiled at me before I returned my attention to the others again.

Gouda tugged on his collar a couple of times. “But…you’re…”

“It makes me very happy that you think so highly of me,” she said. “I will do my best to avoid doing anything that would embarrass you.”

“Maybe you could help her with her social skills,” I suggested, feeling a little jealous for some reason.

“But she knows so much more than me!” he protested.

“Except when it comes to social stuff,” I countered. “She even said so, right?”

“I-” He looked from me to Kotomi, who simply blinked up at him with her usual innocent gaze. “I…will do my best,” he finally said.

“I look forward to working with you,” Kotomi said, bowing the best she could while seated. “Please take care of me.”

“O-Of course,” he stammered as the lights started to dim.

***

“Well, that was fun,” Rie said with a smile as we gathered in the lobby after a bathroom break. “Usually it’s the guy pursuing the girl; this was a nice change.”

“Indeed,” Kotomi agreed. “I am not familiar with the way that romantic relationships are depicted in movies, but I have read extensively about how they normally progress in real life.”

Gouda and I exchanged wide-eyed looks.

“…While it is typical for the male to pursue the female to initiate such a relationship, it is not inconceivable for the female to show the initial interest.”

I heard a *pop* and smelled something burning, and it took me a moment to realize that it was probably my brain. “That’s…impressive, Kotomi-chan.”

“Amazing…” Gouda breathed. “You know so much, senpai!”

“I…I do not…”

“Maybe we should head to the park,” Rie said as she pointed at a clock, saving Kotomi further discomfort. “We’re already having a late lunch; I’d hate for us to be even later.”

“You’re right,” I agreed, the turned to the other two. “You ready?”

Gouda cast an uncomfortable glance over at his furiously blushing date. “I…I believe so.”

Kotomi held Gouda’s arm as we headed to the park. I suspected it was more to help her keep her from falling; with as red as her face was, she might have been having a hard time with her balance.

“How about you and I set things up while they recover?” I suggested to Rie as we approached the shade of one of the park’s many trees.

She glanced back at the other couple and giggled. “That’s probably a good idea.”

We laid out the blanket and settled Kotomi and Gouda on it before working on putting out the food. “Is there anything we need to keep in mind when it comes to your stuff?” I asked Kotomi. She wordlessly shook her head, so I smiled as I started to empty her bag onto the blanket.

“Here, Tomoya,” Rie said as she reached for a cold bowl I was holding. “Let me take care of that.”

I blinked. “Sure,” I said, handing it over to her.

It didn’t take long for our blanket to be covered with lots of yummy-looking food. “Wow…” Gouda breathed, apparently having finally recovered. “It all looks so good…”

“Th-Thank you,” the girls stuttered, almost in unison.

“Can we get started then?” I asked, reaching for a sandwich with an impish smile.

“Tomoya-kun!” Kotomi scolded. “Now, let us put our hands together…”

We did as we were told.

“Thank you for the food.”

We all mumbled some form of gratitude.

I started to reach for the sandwich again, only to find my hand lightly smacked. “L-Let me take care of you…” Rie said, withdrawing her hand with a light blush.

“Um…sure.” I withdrew my hand back to my lap and watched as she put several different items on my plate, and I had to suppress a smile when I realized that she was taking everything from the things she had brought.

“Here you go!” she chirped as she handed me my plate. "Eat up!”

“Thanks.” I took the plate from her and immediately tried the sandwich. “Hey, this is really good!” I said after finishing my first bite. “Sugisaka wasn’t kidding about your cooking.” She said nothing, but I definitely saw her cheeks redden as she prepared her own plate, and I allowed myself a smile as I looked to our seatmates, only to find them both staring at us. “Well? Are you two going to eat or what?”

Apparently I’d hit their power switches, because they immediately started moving, putting stuff on their plates and starting to eat.

“So, how are you enjoying the Chorus Club?” Rie asked Gouda as we ate. “You seem to be having a good time.”

“Oh, it’s a blast!” Gouda exclaimed. “It’s been so frustrating, not being able to sing! I mean, I like modern music and everything, but to be able to have a part of my own…”

“Are…Are you getting along with your band mates okay?” Kotomi hesitantly asked.

“Band..mates…? Oh! Yeah, we get along great!” he exclaimed, nearly throwing his sandwich as he pumped his fist. “Sunakawa and I are already friends, but Kawahara is awesome!”

“What about Hayashi?” Rie asked. “He’s your baritone, right?”

“Right.”

“Who is that?” Kotomi asked. “I have not heard that name before.”

“Hayashi Arata,” Gouda told her. “He’s a first-year. I don’t know him, but I guess Kawahara does. Maybe they’re friends?”

“You mean you’ve been singing with him and you don’t know anything about him?” I asked, surprised.

He shrugged. “We get along well enough to sing together; we don’t have to be buddies. But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to know more about him.”

I glanced over to see Kotomi blinking at her date repeatedly. “Something wrong, Kotomi-chan?”

“Huh? Oh! I was just thinking about how amazing it is that Gouda-kun can sing with someone he does not know. The concept is…interesting.”

“I-Interesting?” Gouda apparently remembered that he was supposed to be nervous. “H-How is it interesting?”

“I have always thought that to be able to work closely with another, one must be close to that individual.” She leaned toward Gouda with innocent curiosity in her eyes. “How do you do it, Gouda-kun?”

It took several seconds for the poor kid to recover from the shock of having her so close so quickly. “I-It’s not hard, really; we both love singing, so we have something in common.”

Her eyes widened as she quickly straightened. “Ah! I believe I understand! Friends can be friends based on similar interests, but one does not have to befriend someone to work with them if a common interest is present!”

“Y-Yeah…” he replied somewhat lamely. “Something like that.”

“Thank you, Gouda-kun,” she said, smiling softly at him. “You are so smart.”

“Y-Yeah…” he repeated while tugging at his collar. “I mean…thank you, Ichinose-senpai.”

I smiled as I left them to their conversation and turned back to Rie, only to find a strawberry nearly shoved up my nose. “Hey!”

“I’m sorry, Tomoya!” she exclaimed, pulling back the berry. “I just…wanted to feed this to you.”

“It’s fine,” I said, rubbing my nose while trying to smile at her. “Just…a little warning next time, okay?”

Apparently my efforts paid off as she giggled, making my heart skip a beat. “Tomoya,” she giggled, “I would like to f-feed you this strawberry; are you ready?”

“Sure,” I said with a chuckle of my own before closing my eyes and opening my mouth. “Aaaahhhh…”

The strawberry was cool, and I could feel her fingertip rub against my lower lip as I closed my mouth about the berry, causing me to shudder as my eyes flew open.

“T-Tomoya?” I heard Rie asking worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” I shuddered again, wiping my mouth with a napkin to get rid of the moisture as well as the feeling. “Just, uh…surprised me.”

“That’s a relief,” she breathed. “I thought I’d hurt you.”

“No, not at all!” I said, more loudly than I intended. To hopefully distract everyone from my situation, I picked up a grape. “Y-Your turn,” I coughed.

“Okay! She exclaimed with a bright smile. “Aaaaahhhh…”

I smiled as I popped the grape in her mouth; unfortunately, her mouth closed around my finger before I could pull it away, and…I froze. Her eyes snapped open in surprise and immediately locked onto mine, my finger still in her mouth.

It was really strange; it was as though I couldn’t pull my gaze from hers. I was locked into those beautiful blue eyes that seemed to go on forever. I felt a tightening in my chest as I pulled my finger from her mouth to rest my hand against her cheek and we just…stared…into each other’s eyes. It was as though some unseen force was drawing us together, like the ‘tractor beam’ from those science fiction shows. But it wasn’t like our bodies were being drawn together, but our…hearts? Souls? It was like I was seeing her eyes but also seeing…’Rie’.

We just…

…

…

…

“Tomoya-kun?”

I dropped my hand from her face and shook my head to clear it and looked to Rie to find her doing the same. “Sorry,” I said, and I noticed my throat was dry. “Guess I spaced out for a minute, there.”

“More like ten,” Gouda said with awe in his voice.

“Seriously?” I asked, and looked over to find both Gouda and Kotomi looking at us with wide eyes.

He held up his wrist to show me his watch. “I happened to check the time just before you…fed…Nishina-san, and it was about ten minutes before Ichinose-senpai called out to you.”

Rie and I looked at each other in shock. “I…I don’t remember anything,” she said quietly. “Just a…warm feeling…”

“M-Me, too,” I said as I tried to turn my gaze inward. “What…What happened?”

“Both of you were looking into each other’s eyes,” Kotomi breathed. “It was…amazing.”

Gouda cleared his throat. “I don’t know what happened,” he admitted, “but I think it was something…profound.”

I looked back at Rie, but something about her seemed…different. Was it her hair? No, her hair was the same as always. I studied her as she blushed, and it hit me; it wasn’t anything about her, but about me, the way I saw her. “Rie?”

She briefly glanced up at me. “Y-Yes, Tomoya?”

I took a risk and reached out to lay my hand against her face again, and I felt relief when she pressed her face into it. “I…I think I love you…Rie.”

I watched in awe at the sight of her trembling lower lip as she put one of her hands against my face as well. “I th-think I love you too, T-Tomoya.”

***

None of us said much on the way home from the park. I didn’t know what Rie was thinking as she held my arm as we walked, but I knew that I was feeling a little…numb. I would never forget what had happened back at the park, and I had a feeling she wouldn’t, either.

When we came to the place where we would part ways, Kotomi released Gouda’s arm and turned to Rie and I. “Thank you for letting us come with you,” she said with a bow.

“You’re welcome,” Rie said softly. “I hope we didn’t make you uncomfortable with our…our…”

“I was a little uncomfortable,” she admitted. “But I believe that I witnessed something…wonderful.”

A quick glance at Rie’s reddened face confirmed that her face looked the way mine felt.

“Something does seem different about the two of you,” Gouda said in a subdued tone. “You both seem…more mature? No, that’s not it…wait! I don’t mean you’re not mature!” he yelled, waving his hands at my glare. “I just mean…”

“They are ‘more’,” Kotomi said.

He snapped his fingers, causing her to jump. “That’s it! They’re ‘more’.”

“More what?” I asked.

He simply shrugged. “I am sorry, Okazaki; that’s the best I can do. The only other thing I can say is that it’s harder to see you as two individuals now than it used to.”

“That is amazing, Gouda-kun!” Kotomi exclaimed, tightening her grip on his arm. “I was having a difficult time with finding the right words, but I believe you expressed my thoughts exactly!”

“Eh-heh,” he smiled awkwardly. “Thank you.”

“You are quite welcome,” she said with a nod, then looked back to us. “Thank you for letting us come with you,” she said with another bow.

“No problem,” I said with a smile. “We had a blast.”

She then turned to her date. “Gouda-kun; I had a wonderful time. Thank you for taking good care of me and I look forward to our next outing,” she finished with a bow.

“N-Next?” he stammered.

“Of course,” she replied with her trademarked innocent blink. “We will require several dates to determine our compatibility, will we not?”

“S-Sure,” he said, reaching over to pinch his own arm.

“Then I shall look forward to it.” She bowed one last time before heading for home.

“I…I will walk you home!” Gouda nearly shouted, running after her, and I briefly saw a flash of purple from a bush near the sidewalk, taking me back to more…confusing times.

I felt a squeeze to my arm and looked down to Rie gazing up at me. “Do you know what happened back there?” I asked.

Her soft hair swayed with the shake of her head. “No…but I think it was something important.” She released my arm to reach up and rest a hand on my face again, and I could see…fear? …in her eyes. “I…I feel closer to you than I ever have. It’s…scary.”

I took her hand from my face and kissed its palm before squeezing it gently. “It’s okay, Rie; I’m…scared, too.”

I made sure to walk her home after that.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Nishina Rie**

“Okazaki!”

I smiled as I slowed my pace to let Sugisaka catch up with me. I hadn’t seen her much since her disastrous confession, and when I did she was mainly with either Rie or Harada. From what Rie had told me, Harada had started walking her to school ever since her confession, so to see her coming to walk with me again was a welcome change. “Morning, Sugisaka.”

“Hey,” she greeted as she fell into step with me. “How…have you been?”

“Pretty good,” I replied, watching her out of the corner of my eye as we walked; I wasn’t sure how telling her about my last date with Rie would affect her. “How about you? Are you doing okay?”

“I guess I’m okay, after…what happened.” She kicked at a pebble, sending it tumbling off the side of the road. “I was in shock for a while, but I’m feeling a little better.”

“Is that why we haven’t been walking together for a while?”

There was an unusual heaviness to her sigh. “Yeah…I mean, I think you’re cool and everything, but you’re a guy, and…”

“Had enough of guys for a while?” I asked carefully.

“Yeah. Don’t take it personally, Okazaki.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t.”

We walked quietly for a while. The silence was unusual but not surprising, considering what she’d just said.

What was surprising, however, was when she suddenly grabbed my arm. “Hee hee…”

“Hey!” I protested. “I thought you’d had enough of guys!”

She grinned up into my shocked expression. “You’re…different, Okazaki.”

“Are you saying I’m not a guy?!”

“No, you’re very much a guy,” she said with a definite tint to her cheeks. “It’s just that…you’re not like the others. I know you think you’re a delinquent and stuff, but…and you may really be tough, but…” She shook her head in frustration. “This isn’t coming out right.”

“Take your time,” I told her. “I won’t tease you.”

She blinked up at me before her face resolved into a smile. “See, that’s what I’m talking about; even though you try to be all ‘I don’t care’, that fact is you really do.” She gave my arm a squeeze. “That’s what Rie and Nao and I really like about you.”

I grimaced as my mind went back to when Rie told me about Harada’s supposed crush; well, apparently it wasn’t ‘supposed’ after all. “Th-Thanks, Sugisaka.”

“You’re welcome!” she chirped, then her expression grew serious. “Listen, Okazaki; you’re all right in my book.”

We turned the last corner, and as we approached the school I noticed Rie waiting by the school gates. I was surprised that she didn’t react to seeing her friend holding my arm. “Good morning Tomoya, Ama-nee-chan. It’s nice to see you walking together again.”

“Well, he begged me and I gave in,” Sugisaka said melodramatically as she passed me over to Rie. “And you know how much of a softie I can be.”

I rolled my eyes as Rie simply giggled as she took my arm.

“Anyway, thanks for letting me borrow him,” Sugisaka finished with a smirk.

“You’re welcome,” my girlfriend replied with a smile. “Are you going to be okay to perform today? If you don’t want to sing today, I’ll understand.”

“Nah,” Sugisaka said, waving a hand. “I need this, actually. At this point I think it’ll do me some good to sing with the girls again.”

“Need a better memory of singing?” I offered carefully.

She sighed heavily as she appeared to consider my words. “Yeah…something like that.”

“Well I’m relieved,” Rie said. “I was afraid you’d never want to sing again, and I so miss singing with you and the others.”

Sugisaka stepped up to her friend to give her a hug. “Thanks, Rie; that means a lot to me.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” I said, pointing at the main clock on the front of the school, “but if we’re going to hit the clubroom before school starts, we should get moving.”

The girls looked at each other with smiles. “Shall we, then?” Rie offered.

“Ready when you are,” Sugisaka replied.

As I followed them up to the clubroom I watched their interactions; with the way they talked to each other, I found myself wishing that I’d had a friend like Sugisaka back when I was having problems with my dad. Sunohara was fun to hang out with and pick on, but…yeah.

_“…You gave her the chance to prove herself, and…you’ll probably be one of her best friends for life.”_

I blinked at the memory, and I wondered if Rie was right; was I a friend in Sugisaka’s eyes? That would explain why she took my arm earlier. The idea was a little too heavy for me to think about that early in the morning, though, so I filed it away for later.

We made our way to the clubroom and headed inside to chaos; it appeared as though every group was there, each practicing their own songs.

“It’s kinda noisy in here, don’t you think?” Rie asked, covering her ears with a pained look.

“Y-Yeah,” Sugisaka grunted, also covering her ears. “Hey, nii-san; could you fix this?”

‘Nii-san’? I blinked at my sudden…promotion? “S-Sure.” I moved to the center of the room and clapped my hands. “Hey! Quiet!” I had to repeat it several times before it was quiet enough to continue. “We can’t have you all in here, practicing at the same time; we need some of you to go somewhere else.”

“Is it all right if some of us stay here and practice together?” a voice piped up from the mass of students. “We’d take turns; we just want to encourage each other.”

“That’s fine,” I replied. “The point is to not have more than one group singing at once in here.”

In the end, Kawahara took his group further down the hall, with several of the others groups following them. I smiled as I noticed that Kotomi tagged along with them, talking with Gouda; I felt that little pang of jealousy again, but I figured it was something like what a dad feels when his daughter starts dating, so I did my best to ignore it.

The rest of them, mainly the soloists, stuck around to encourage Rie and her group. I didn’t feel as awkward watching her sing ‘Look in My Eyes’ as I did when she first sang it at the Founder’s Festival way back…wait, was it really that long ago?

The warning bell for first period rang, and everyone got their stuff together and started toward the door, saying encouraging things to each other as they left. I watched, feeling a little left out since I wasn’t a singer; being a support was nice overall, but it sucked sometimes.

I must have been really engrossed in my self-pity, because I jumped when I felt a touch to my shoulder. “Sorry, nii-san,” Sugisaka said with a gentle smile. “You were looking pretty upset, so I wanted to see if you were all right.”

“I’m fine,” I replied, giving her my best ‘recovery’ smile. “Just…thinking.”

“You know, everyone thinks of you as one of us,” she said with a knowing grin.

“Thanks, Sugisaka” I said, my smile relaxing to something less forced and more genuine.

“Call me ‘Amane’,” she said while patting my shoulder a couple of times. “Hey, are you going to be able to get out early for setup?”

My hand found my forehead. “Aw man, I’d forgotten about that!” Each of us was supposed to make arrangements with our teacher to leave the class before lunch a little early for time to set up our stuff. “I’ll try to be there, whatever it takes.”

“Okay,” she said simply, patting my shoulder again. “We’ll understand if you’re late; we should be able to handle things until you get there.”

“Thanks,” I said, thinking about which teacher I’d need to talk to and what I’d have to say as I hurried over to Rie. “Sorry cutie, I have to run; I forgot to talk to my teacher about getting out early, and I want to do it before school starts.”

“Okay,” she replied with a giggle. “I’ll see you at lunch anyway, right?”

“Right,” I said, giving her a thumbs-up. “See you later!”

***

“Yes, I know about the ‘concert’,” Kojima-sensei said as I bowed before his desk. “You have my permission to leave early, but I wish to say something first, Okazaki …”

“Yes, sir?”

He leveled his gaze over his glasses at me as I straightened. “Were you the same angry young man you were just a few short weeks ago I would have said ‘no’. But I have seen remarkable growth in you, not just in your grades but also your attitude. Keep that in mind, young man.”

“I will, sir,” I said, not entirely sure what he meant.

“And I’ll see you at lunch,” he said with a wink.

“Yes, sir,” I said, returning his smile.

***

Sunohara was waiting for me when I got to homeroom. “Where have you been?” he whined as I plopped into my seat.

“I was talking to one of the teachers,” I said as I rummaged around in my bag for my book.

“Asking to get out early, I bet,” he said with a knowing grin.

I blinked. “How did you know?”

His stupid grin faded. “Wait…you really asked about getting out early?! What did he say?”

“He told me it was okay,” I replied; why was he acting like this? He sputtered briefly, and I realized that he had been out of the loop for a while. “I’m helping with the lunchtime concert,” I explained. “I’m helping with setup and stuff.”

“When did you get so responsible?”

I thought about his question, then shrugged. “I don’t know; does it matter? It probably started after I found the first song for Rie.”

“Huh.” He got a faraway look in his eyes. “What is ‘myself’…?”

I remembered when he first said that, what seemed like a lifetime ago. “I dunno; what is ‘yourself’?”

His forehead wrinkled, then he collapsed onto his desk. “Forget it; this is too much thinking right now.”

I smirked, more to myself than to him as I set my textbook on my desk, ready to start the day.

After class, I headed out to use the bathroom, only to find Rie waiting for me out in the hall. “Will you be able to leave early?” she asked, sounding out of breath.

“Yeah, I talked to the teacher and he said it was okay,” I told her.

“Good,” she said, then her cheeks darkened. “I look forward to seeing you super-”

“Rie, I’m really sorry,” I said, feeling like I was staring to lose containment, “but I really gotta….go.”

Her eyes widened to the size of plates. “Oh! I’m sorry! Go, then!”

“I’ll be as quick as I can!” I yelled with an apologetic look as I nearly ran down the hallway.

Fortunately, she was waiting for me when I got back. “I’m sorry about that,” she apologized again.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “You didn’t know. Thanks for letting me go when you found out.”

“You’re welcome,” she giggled.

“Anyway, what were you saying?”

“Oh, nothing important,” she told me. “I just…wanted to see you, but I was afraid to go into your classroom.”

“You can come in during breaks if you want,” I said. “Kyou comes in all the time…huh, she hasn’t been in here in a while.”

“Is that unusual?”

“Yeah,” I said, looking in the direction of 3-E. “She used to come in all the time to talk to me and pick on Sunohara.”

“Do you think she’s upset at you?”

“I don’t think so,” I said, scratching my head. “The last time I saw her was when Gouda walked Kotomi home from our date…at least, I think that was her hair.”

“Her hair?”

“I think I saw her in one of the bushes when he was chasing after Kotomi to walk her home,” I said with a chuckle. “Anyway, you don’t need to be afraid; most of my classmates have better things to do than pick on a second-year. Besides…” I smacked my fist into the palm of my other hand. “…if anyone does pick on you, I’ll take care of them.”

“You’re so funny,” she giggled. “Thank you for wanting to protect me.”

“In fact,” I said, taking her by the hand, “how about you come in right now?”

“Oh, I can’t!” she cried, tugging against my grip. “My heart’s not ready!”

“Huh?”

“I…I mean, it’s so sudden!”

“But you were able to come in and share your lunch with me that one time,” I pointed out.

“That was different!” she gasped, covering her face.

“But…oh, whatever.” If it bothered her that much… “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to force you into anything.”

“It’s okay,” she said, removing one hand from her reddened face to take my hand again. “I’m probably just overreacting. I should get back to class, anyway.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I said, noting the time. “I’ll see you at lunch-er, before lunch, then.”

Something about her smile made my chest tighten…no, it made me feel warm all over. “See you then.”

I watched as she headed toward the stairs, the way her hair swayed as she walked, how ladylike she was in the way she walked. “Okazaki, you lucky bastard,” I sighed as I stepped back into my classroom.

***

“Okazaki.”

I looked up at the sound of my teacher’s voice. “Yes, sir?”

Kojima-sensei looked at me before pointedly looking toward the wall. I followed his gaze to…the clock! “CRAP!” I blurted before I could catch myself. “Sorry,” I said, looking meekly at my surprised classmates.

“Don’t worry about it,” someone said as I grabbed my bag and sprinted for the door.

I hurried down the stairs, nearly losing my footing as I bolted down to the main floor. I sprinted over to the old school building and up the stairs two at a time, and finally slammed the door to the Chorus Club room open. “Made it!”

“Eeep!” I heard something hit the floor and glanced over to see Rie with a surprised look and a book at her feet. “You startled me!”

“Sorry,” I said, catching my breath as I made my way over to her. “Am I late?”

“No, you’re the first one here…well, other than me,” she replied, retrieving her book before getting to her feet.

“Good,” I managed. “I was afraid I’d be late.”

“No, you’re early,” she said, taking my hands in hers and gazing into my eyes. “In fact…”

The room suddenly felt really heavy. “’In fact’ what…?”

She gently tugged down on my hands, bringing my face close enough to-

…

…

“Geez you two, do that later!”

I felt myself snap upright, stumbling as I returned to reality, and I looked down to see Rie’s lips upturned, her eyes still closed, and I had to resist the urge to go in for seconds.

“A-Are you okay?” came a voice less harsh then the first.

Rie and I gazed into each other’s eyes for one more eternal moment before checking on our guests. “I’m sorry, Ama-nee-san,” Rie said, still sounding a little unsteady. “I…We…didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“I know,” Amane said with a grin as she uncrossed her arms and pushed off from the doorway. “I’m happy for you, but…do that somewhere more private next time?”

“I wasn’t embarrassed,” Harada replied, looking at me with one hand pressed against her chest. “I…I think it’s wonderful how…how much you love each other.”

I felt a little guilty as Amane led Harada over to the corner of the room, where they began talking quietly. “Maybe…we should work on cooling off before the others get here,” I suggested.

“I think you’re right,” Rie giggled before making her way over to her friends.

Uematsu and Hattori showed up shortly after that, exchanging waves (and a high-five in Hattori’s case) before they also headed over to Rie and the others.

Once Gouda arrived, we started moving the few things we would need for the concert down to the courtyard.

“The moving will be the easy part,” Gouda announced as we carried the microphone stands down the stairs. “Getting it set up will be more challenging.”

“Well, yeah,” I mumbled, wondering why he even needed to point it out in the first place. “Hey, do you know if Kotomi-chan will be there?”

“Of course!” he exclaimed, his smile nearly taking over his face. “She has been looking forward to this for a long time!”

“She going to do her song?”

“No,” he replied with a shake of his head. “I asked her about that, but she said that the song was just for her. A healing song.”

“I get it,” I said. “I can respect that.”

“Though I will admit that I hope she does sing the song today,” he admitted. “Her singing voice is amazing…even though it’s untrained, of course.”

“Of course,” I echoed. “Well, I guess we’ll see what happens; she may surprise us.”

“I have a feeling there will be a few surprises today,” he replied. “I think…today will be special.”

“Well, it is the last day of school before summer-”

“No,” he interrupted. “I think it will be special for many reasons.”

I didn’t feel any particular need to argue the point, so I just followed him out to the courtyard, where we carefully left the stands before heading back inside.

By the time we got back to the clubroom, the place was nearly packed with performers. Rie hurried over to me and latched onto the front of my shirt. “Help!”

I shoved down the urge to pound someone since it wasn’t needed. “Gouda, have everyone head down to the courtyard. Have the guys take any of the equipment we’ll need with them.”

“Got it.” With a nod, he hurried over to a group of guys and started barking orders.

Disaster hopefully averted, I turned to Rie, who was still clutching onto me and staring up into my face. “Anything else, Club President?”

She shook her head, her delicate chin rubbing against my chest. “No. Thank you, Tomoya.”

I chuckled as I lay a hand on top of her head, enjoying the softness of her hair. “Why don’t you and your group head down, and I’ll take care of things here?”

She said nothing, but nodded before releasing me to head over to her group. I watched with a smile as they headed out the door, lifting a hand when my girl looked back one more time as she left. Then I took a deep breath as I turned to see how things were progressing.

Most of the girls were gone, and the ones that were left were helping the guys carry stuff. “Well, better make myself useful,” I grunted as I headed over to help out the best I could.

Since there weren’t very many pieces, it didn’t take long for us to get everything set up and connected. “Now we just need to test it,” Rie said quietly as she looked around at the groups of students skipping class for an early lunch.

“Test it?” I asked. “Shouldn’t they still work?”

“This stuff’s set up for indoors,” Amane explained, indicating the soundboard. “We’ll have to adjust it to account for being outside – no walls to bounce sound off of.”

“Ah, I think I get it. Maybe we should get Kawahara’s group up to test it; they’re up first, right?” I asked Rie.

She quickly checked the list. “Yes, they’re up first-ooo! They’re doing ‘Gloria’ first!”

“You like that song, don’t you?” Hattori said. “Maybe they should sing your name, instead: ‘Riiiiiiieeeeee….’”

“Stop that, Reiko,” Amane scolded. “That’s the last thing she needs right now.”

“Sorry, sorry,” she replied with hands raised, and it looked to me like she meant it. “To make up for it, I’ll go get Kawahara’s group.”

“Th-Thank you,” Rie stammered, glancing up at me; I smiled back to try to put her at ease.

“Testing, testing…” Kawahara said into the main microphone. “I can hear me, but is this okay?”

I looked over to the kid at the soundboard – Sato, I think his name was – who gave him a thumbs-up. “Sounds good; now we just have to balance the others.”

It was kinda neat hearing the group harmonize. They didn’t sing any particular song, they just sang a single note each. “Sound good, Sato?” Kawahara asked after several tries.

“Okay, I think we got it!” Sato replied, giving another thumbs-up.

“How long until lunch?” Hayashi asked.

I pointed up at the clock on the front of the main building. “Looks like we have about ten minutes. We got this set up a lot faster than I thought we would.”

“So we’re up first!” Gouda shouted, thumping Kawahara’s back. “Are you nervous?”

“A little,” the first-year admitted as he staggered under the onslaught. “I’m more excited than anything; I’ve always wanted to sing before other people, but I never thought I’d be singing at school…in English, too.”

“They may not understand our words, but they’ll understand our hearts,” Sunakawa said, and I realized that it was the first time I’d ever heard him speak. I could tell why he was their tenor, though.

“That’s right!” Gouda bellowed with his fist raised. Next to him, Kawahara simply shook his head with a smile while Hayashi seemed to nod his agreement. It was neat seeing four different guys from my school getting along so well.

Maybe they weren’t as different as I thought, though; they all enjoyed singing, after all. “You seem fired up,” I noted with an amused smile.

“We’re singing ‘Blue Moon’ as our last song,” Sunakawa said while elbowing the bass. “And Gouda here’s hoping Ichinose-senpai will be here to hear him.”

“Hey, knock it off!” Gouda nearly yelled as he put his friend in a headlock.

“Easy, guys,” I said, lifting my hands. “We don’t need any injuries before the performance.”

Gouda released his friend but spent the next several minutes huffing and smiling as we finished setup to account for the other performers.

“Whenever you’re ready, guys,” Sato said with his trademark thumbs-up as the lunch bell rang and Kawahara and his group took the mikes.

Kawahara looked to me, so I gave him a nod. “Let’s do it,” he said to the others. * _“Gloooooriiiiiaaaaa…”*_

It was kinda funny watching the students heading to the cafeteria all doing double-takes as they walked past. Of course, I didn’t know if they understood the lyrics or not, but it was still neat to see them seeming interested at least.

 _*“And you’ll see, it’s not Marie_  
_Gloria, it’s not Cherie_  
_Gloria, but she’s not in love with me…”*_

I knew it would take a few minutes for everyone to get their lunches, but if they heard Kawahara’s group singing on their way to the cafeteria, they’d be more likely to come back and listen.

But why? The music faded to the background as this thought caught my attention. Why were we doing this? Nobody’d make any money from it, and the other students might not even understand the words or enjoy the music. I’d just been so caught up in the flow that I’d never stopped to think about why we were doing this.

I got my answer when I saw Kawahara and Gouda high-fiving as they left the microphones after their first song and I smiled; it wasn’t about making money or becoming popular or anything like that. It was about coming together to do something really cool simply because we enjoyed it. If no one else understood or appreciated it, that was okay because we could.

I moved to stand under a nearby tree and watched as Rie and her group stepped up to the microphones and did a quick sound test before their song.

 _*“Look in my eyes_  
_And tell me you love me_  
_Tell me you love me_  
_Or, darlin’, I’ll be gone_  
_(gone, gone, gone, gone)”*_

I felt a smile spread across my face as I noticed a group of girls slow down as they passed by the singers. I figured they recognized the song from the Founder’s Festival, so I wasn’t too surprised when they settled down in the grass near, but not too close to, the performers. It looked like they had purchased sandwiches from the cafeteria, because they unwrapped them and started eating while occasionally glancing up at my girl’s group.

As the singing groups changed out, it was hard to miss the ever-increasing number of students who sat out in the courtyard and listened while they ate. I knew it wasn’t unusual for us to sit outside and eat on nice days, but it seemed like there were more people out there than usual; even a few teachers were there.

“They sound quite good.” I flinched and turned to find Kojima-sensei standing next to me, sandwich in hand. “They seem to have worked very hard to make this successful.”

“They just like singing, sir,” I told him. “The concert was a spur-of-the-moment idea, but you’re right; they’ve worked really hard.”

“Takahashi’s English is impressive,” he noted, gesturing toward the performance area where the second-year was singing. “I wouldn’t expect her to understand some of those words until next year.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure if she understands all of them,” I admitted. “I’d have to ask.”

“Well, if she can at least make the sounds,” a new but familiar voice chimed in, “she’ll be far ahead of her peers.”

“Hey, old man,” I greeted as Koumura-sensei joined us.

“Tomoya-san,” he simply said as he moved to stand next to us.

“Isn’t Kawahara one of your students, Toshio?” Kojima-sensei asked.

“Hmmm…” He squinted as he looked at Kawahara, with as narrow as his eyes were already, I wasn’t sure how I could tell. “Yes, he’s one of my students. Why?”

“He’s the lead singer for one of the groups, along with Hayashi Arata,” Kojima-sensei replied. “His pronunciation of English is remarkable.”

“Hmmm?” My old homeroom teacher narrowed his eyes again. “Well, I’ll have to stick around. Will he be singing again?”

“Yes, sir,” I answered. “The groups are on a rotation, and…I think he’ll be back up in a couple of songs.”

“Hmmm. Well, I’ll have to stick around, then.”

After Takahashi came a quartet that I hadn’t had the time to meet.

“I think I recognize that one,” Koumura-sensei declared as the group sang. “If memory serves, that is ‘Earth Angel’ by the…Penguins?”

“That’s right,” I replied. At his surprised look I shrugged awkwardly. “I…do most of the research for the groups, so I’ve learned quite a bit.”

“Hmmmmmmmm…” he grunted as he appeared to study me. “You are well-steeped in late-1950s American music, then?”

“No, sir,” I answered quickly. “At least…I don’t think so.”

“Tomoya!” a happy voice called out, and Rie joined us shortly after. “Have you eaten lunch, yet?”

“Not yet,” I said, shrugging. “I’ve been talking with our teachers here or just listening to the music; I guess I forgot.”

“Well, that’s okay,” she said, pulling her hands from behind her back to reveal a good-sized box. “I made lunch for us!”

“’Us’?” Kojima-sensei repeated. “Nishina-san, are you and Okazaki-san dating?”

“Yes, sir,” she replied.

“Hmmm…” Koumura-sensei intoned, making me a little nervous for some reason.

“We haven’t been dating for very long,” she continued, “and we haven’t let it disrupt our studies.”

“Besides, we’ve been pretty busy with the Chorus Club, anyway,” I said, feeling the need to say something, if only to ease my nerves at my old homeroom teacher’s gaze.

“How is Sunohara-san doing?”

“Huh?” Where had that come from? “I...don’t know, sir; I don’t talk to him much anymore.”

“What a pity,” he said before returning his gaze to the concert; by this point, Kawahara’s group had gotten up to do their last song, the last song of the concert.

I knew what the last song was going to be, but I still enjoyed the goofy smiles they exchanged before the lead singer nodded to his bass. I may have even had a goofy smile myself…maybe.

 _*“Bom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom_  
_Ba ba bom ba ba bom va dang a dang dang_  
_Va ding a dong dang Blue Moon,_  
_Blue Moon, Blue Moon…dit dit dit dit dit…”*_

I watched the audience for their reaction, and I wasn’t disappointed; many of the students perked up at Gouda’s verbal gymnastics, and by the time Kawahara started the first verse of the foreign song several more were on their feet trying to dance to it.

I moved my gaze back to the quartet and was impressed; in practice, the guys had stood somewhat still while singing, but someone must have come up with some simple choreography. They moved as though they were walking in place, bouncing one fist in front and then the other as they raised and lowered their feet.

I didn’t know how many (if any) of the other students understood the words, but they sure seemed to enjoy the energy; a lot of the girls had started dancing together, twirling and holding hands to twirl each other. The guys were either clapping or stomping their feet…or both.

Eventually, the song ended, and Kawahara and the others gave awkward bows to their roaring, appreciative audience. I couldn’t tell for sure but some of them must have asked for more, because Gouda ended up leading them in a few more rounds of his ‘solo’, and I could even hear a few of the guys trying to copy him.

“No wonder Gouda’s pronunciation has improved,” Kojima-sensei mused. “I’m not sure that I could do that.”

“I was blown away the first time I heard him,” I said. “I don’t know how he does it.”

Unfortunately, the warning bell for the end of lunch sounded, and everyone started back to class, leaving us a few minutes to hurry everything upstairs.

As I moved to help with clean-up I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked over into the face of my former homeroom teacher. “Well done, Tomoya-san,” Koumura-sensei said with warmth in his voice. “You did well in researching and selecting their music.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said, awed by his praise.

“Hmmm.” He gave me a nod and a smile and a clap on the shoulder before turning to shuffle back toward the school.

***

The rest of the day was a blur. I managed to pay attention during my classes, but everything went by so quickly. I think it was because of all the excitement about the concert.

It was hard to miss the excitement between periods:

“Did you hear Kawahara’s group? They were amazing!”

“I only understood about half of what they were saying, but it looked like they were really into it.”

“Man, I wish I had a girlfriend like that lead singer…Nishina, wasn’t it?”

I flinched at the familiar-sounding comment until I heard: “Don’t you know, idiot? She’s dating that third-year delinquent. You don’t want to mess with her.”

I chuckled to myself and, as I headed to the bathroom, I heard a group of girls giggling as they walked together. “Gouda-kun is so amazing,” I heard one of them sigh. “I wish I could be his girlfriend.”

I felt a sudden wave of hostility, and whirled to find Kotomi nearby, glaring at the group of girls. “H-Hey, Kotomi-chan. You look mad; you okay?”

“I…I am fine,” she replied, still glaring as the girls headed into a nearby classroom. “I feel...angry...for some reason.”

“Was it because of what that girl said?” I asked while trying to hide my smirk.

Her glare remained as she looked up at me. “I have an irrational desire to harm whoever said that.”

“Are you jealous?” I asked, crossing my arms while still managing to suppress a smile.

“Jealous?”

I took a deep breath; logic wasn’t one of my strong suits, but I was willing to give it a try. “Well, did it make you mad that she said that Gouda is amazing?”

“Well, no,” she admitted. “What she stated was a simple fact-no, I mean, an opinion that I happen to agree with.”

“So it must have been the other thing she said, right?”

A nod.

“So why did it make you mad?” I still had to pee, but it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t wait.

Her answer came immediately. “Because he and I have spent so much time together! Well…maybe not much, but it has been quite edifying!”

“He’s special to you, isn’t he?”

“Oh, very much so! I understand what he means when he speaks of not being as smart as I am, but I also know that I am…unique in that regard. However, he has shown a remarkable…depth…to his thinking, one that I am not capable of, at least at present.”

I couldn’t understand everything she was saying, but I figured I’d gotten the relevant points. “So, a girl has just said that she wishes to be the girlfriend of a guy who is very special to you.”

Her eyes widened. “I…had not thought of that! You are so smart, Tomoya-kun!”

“I’m not, but thanks,” I said. “I think you just needed someone else to help you sort out your thoughts. So…are you jealous?”

I watched, feeling the pressure increase in my bladder as her gears turned. “I believe that I am,” she concluded. “What should I do?”

“Could…we finish this later?” I asked, starting to squirm. “I really need to use the toilet; I’m sorry.”

“Oh! Of course! I am sorry for keeping you!”

“Thanks,” I grunted as I turned to sprint down the hallway. “Catch you later!”

***

The last bell of the day rang a lot sooner than I expected, and I loaded up my bag and headed toward the door and the Chorus Club room.

Kotomi was waiting for me outside. “Tomoya-kun? Would you be willing to continue our conversation from earlier?”

“Sure, but I’m headed to club right now,” I said, briefly surprised that I would ever say anything like that. “Are you coming, or are you going to the Theater Club?”

“I will be coming with you,” she replied. “There is no Theater Club today. In fact…” I blinked as a sad expression crossed her face. “I think Nagisa-chan will be dissolving the club.”

“Why?”

“We have not been able to get enough members to sustain the club,” she replied as we started to walk. “I suspect that part of it is due to the success of the Chorus Club and the number of students that have joined, but…”

“What?”

“…I believe that Nagisa-chan is sad because she is not strong enough to lead the club.”

I mulled this over; it made sense, with how Kyou had basically taken it over the last time I was there. “That’s too bad; she seemed to really enjoy it.”

Kotomi nodded solemnly. “Kyou is a very capable leader, but she can be a little…overbearing?”

I laughed loudly. “Yeah, that sounds about right! Is that the reason why you’ve been coming to the Chorus Club?”

“In part,” she admitted. “At first, I did not want to be alone anymore, and the Chorus Club seemed to be having a good time, where people got along really well. I wanted to be part of that.” She ducked her head meekly. “I did not expect to sing anything, though; that was a surprise.”

“Just planned on being a support, like me?” I asked.

She nodded. “I was fully prepared to assist with research, but I did not expect to find a song that would communicate my feelings. I also did not expect to find someone as wonderful as Gouda…kun…” she trailed off as her glare started to return.

“So what are you going to do about him?” I challenged.

“Huh?”

I gestured to her before grabbing the door to the old school building. “You like him, but it sounds like you’re not the only one. What are you going to do about it?”

“I…I do not know what to do. What do you think, Tomoya-kun?”

I sighed; I wasn’t really ready to be anyone’s counselor, but… “I don’t know if my advice would be very useful, but I’d say; just be yourself.”

“Myself?”

“Well, yeah.” I gestured at her again. “Think about it; he asked you out, right?”

A nod.

“So he’s already interested in you, right?”

Another nod.

“So he already likes who you are,” I finished.

She blinked several times as we headed down the last stretch of hallway before the clubroom. “I have an advantage…”

“Right.”

We stopped before the door, and she smiled up at me. “Thank you, Tomoya-kun; I will continue to work on being myself.”

“Do your best,” I chuckled as I slid the door open to a noisy clubroom. “What the…”

Inside was a madhouse; it looked like all of the Chorus Club members were there, but…

“It would appear that the Chorus Club has developed a following,” Kotomi observed as we stared at the mass of humanity.

“All right, quiet!” I had to fight a flashback as I tried to get some kind of control over the situation. “What’s going on?”

I immediately regretted my phrasing as everyone tried to answer at once.

“You,” I demanded, pointing at an unfamiliar face, a first-year female student. “Why are you here?”

“I…I’m here to get Kawahara-kun’s autograph,” she replied, and I noticed that she had a sheet of paper pressed against his chest.

I blinked, dumbfounded. Autographs? I sighed. “Fine, but let’s have some kind of order here, okay? And while we’re at it, make sure that we’re okay with giving autographs. Hattori, Amane…you here?”

“Here, chief,” came a voice from the center of a group of boys.

“Where’s Rie?”

“I’m here,” a nearby desk said, before my girlfriend crawled out from underneath. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I told her. “I didn’t know this would happen, either.” I turned back to the crowd. “Amane, Hattori, get the…the…

“Autograph-seekers?” Kotomi suggested.

“Yeah; what she said; get them out in the hall for now; I need to talk to the club for a minute.”

It was still impressive how those two could take charge, and I was further surprised that none of the autograph-seekers got upset by the whole thing; maybe they didn’t want to mess up their chances or something.

After removing the fans to the hallway I addressed the club. “Are you all okay with this? You okay with signing stuff?”

“We’re cool; right guys?” Kawahara said while exchanging nods with his group.

“N-Not Gouda-kun.”

“Huh?” I looked over at Kotomi, who had a glare again-oh. Right.

“N-Not Gouda-kun,” she repeated, apparently unaware of how many people were hearing her. “I d-do not want him giving autographs to g-girls.”

“I-Ichinose-senpai…” Gouda stuttered as he got to his feet. “A-Are you saying…?”

“I…will not share,” she declared while averting her eyes, causing several sets of eyebrows to raise. “I…want you all to myself.”

Gouda’s stiff expression softened. “O-Of course, Ichinose-senpai.”

“Please…call me ‘Kotomi’,” she said as she stepped closer to him. ‘Kotomi’, huh?

“K…K-Ko…I will work on that,” he promised, rubbing the back of his neck.

With that bit of drama resolved I checked with the rest of the club, none of whom had a problem with their sudden fame. “All right,” I said in a warning tone. “I’ll let them back in.”

“Maybe we should set up some desks,” Rie suggested. “So we can have people line up for the autographs.”

“That’s a good idea,” I replied as I headed toward the door, where several faces were mashed up against the glass. I then paused and looked back as a thought brought a sly smile to my face. “Make sure to get one for yourself, too; I’ll bet you’ll have a couple of fans, cutie.”

“T-Tomoya!” Rie cried, quickly covering her furiously blushing face.

I chuckled softly as I turned back to the door and, taking a deep breath, reached out for the handle. “Okay, here’s how we’re going to do this,” I told the eager crowd, feeling a sense of déjà vu as I spoke, “the different groups will be at desks in here, so I want you to line up neatly in front of them and wait your turn for whatever autographs you want.” I gave myself a moment to think. “If anyone causes trouble, you’ll be kicked out. Got it?”

I heard enough voices of agreement, so I stepped aside to let the students in.

I was surprised at how quickly the desks had been set up; it had only taken a minute or two for me to take care of the crowd, so everyone must have worked really quickly. At first I was concerned with how the crowd swarmed into the room but calmed when I saw them lining up as instructed, occasionally giving me worried looks; apparently my delinquent status was still in effect.

As things settled down by the door, I made my way closer to the desks and smiled as I saw my clubmates happily chatting with their fans as they signed…well, whatever was put before them. My smile broadened as I saw Kotomi sitting next to Gouda at his desk; apparently, she had changed her mind about him signing girls’ stuff, because he was signing one as she watched. Maybe she just needed to know that he wouldn’t ‘betray’ her.

It was also neat seeing my usually-shy girlfriend talking and laughing as she signed stuff as well; she may have been a shy club president, but she definitely liked people.

“O-Okazaki-senpai?”

I was startled out of my thoughts by a first-year standing before me. “Y-Yeah?”

He held a notepad toward me. “Nishina-senpai told me that you were the one who found all of the songs they sang today.”

“Well…not all of them, but most of them…I guess,” I said lamely.

“Amazing...” he breathed. Then he seemed to remember what he was holding and thrust it out at me again. “Would…Would you sign this for me?!”

I took a step back at his forcefulness. “Um…sure.” I took the notepad and the pen he gave me and signed the book. “Is that okay?” I asked, handing it back to him.

“Perfect! Thank you, senpai!” he exclaimed, bowing. “Ha-Have a good day!” With that, he turned and ran out the door.

“Sure…” I said, waving at his retreating form. I then found a sheet thrust in front of me, this one by a starry-eyed second-year girl. “Wouldyousignthispleasesenpai?” she squeaked.

I took a moment to put the proper spaces in her question before taking the sheet from her. “I’m not one of the singers, you know?”

“I knooooooowwww…” she gushed as she handed me a pen, “but Kawahara-kun told me that you picked out all of their songs!”

“Well…not all of them-oh, never mind.” I signed the sheet with a shake of my head. “Here you go.”

“Thanks!” she squeaked again as she stared up at me. “Wow, you’re even cuter up close!”

“Huh?”

Her face went from zero to molten almost instantly. “O-Oh! Forget I said that! Ehehehe…”

As she ran from the room with her face ablaze, another schoolmate came up to me with notepad held out…

***

“I’m beat,” I huffed as I lay on the floor with my limbs splayed out. Everyone else had left for the day, leaving Rie and her group to keep me company. “I can’t believe they wanted my autograph, too…”

“I’m sorry,” Rie said as she knelt next to me. “If I had known that it would bother you that much, I wouldn’t have told them.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “I’m just going to complain about it for a while, if that’s okay.”

“If you need to,” she giggled.

“Hey.” I opened my eyes to see Hattori looking down at me. “Listen…I, uh, just wanted to say ‘thanks’ for…you know…finding all that music…giving me something to do…”

“You’re welcome?” I replied, puzzled at her discomfort.

“She’s trying to say that she likes you,” Rie said, then paled. “B-But not the way I do!”

“Oh. “ I looked up at Hattori again, who was rubbing at her nose while pointedly looking away. “Thanks, Hat-”

“C-Call me ‘Reiko’.”

I blinked at the interruption, but recovered. “Sure. Thanks, Reiko.”

“Y-Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “Well…I’d better go; it’s getting late.”

“Do you want to get together tomorrow?” Rie asked as Reiko got to her feet. “Maybe we could celebrate our successful concert.”

“That sounds cool,” she replied. “Okazaki can come, too.”

“I may need all of my first day of summer break off, but thanks,” I grunted, throwing my hand over my eyes but smiling as I heard Rie giggle.

“I’ll walk with you,” Uematsu offered, and I heard two sets of footstep fade as the door slid open and shut. If my count was right, that left Rie, Amane, and Harada.

“It’s kinda weird,” I heard Harada say. “We’re back to the original members of the Chorus Club. Well, and Okazaki-senpai.”

“Yeah,” Amane sighed. “I’m glad we’ve been able to do so much, but…I kinda miss those days. Less busy.”

“I don’t mind,” Rie said. “Tomoya’s been here to support us all the way. In fact…” I heard a tapping sound and moved my arm from my eyes to see her patting her lap. “W-Would you like to take a nap?”

I noticed Harada twitch as I studied my girlfriend. “S-Sure,” I said, heaving my shoulders from the floor. “Thanks.” The minute my head touched her lap I could feel her fingers running through my hair. “Seems like I should be doing this for you, though; all of you have done most of the work.”

“That’s not true!” Harada protested, drawing my gaze to her blushing face. “You did so much research and work in finding those songs!”

“Yeah,” Amane agreed. “I might never have confessed to…well, confessed if you hadn’t found that song for me.”

“And Ichinose-senpai might never have let go of her pain if you hadn’t found that song for her,” Rie added.

“Fine,” I grunted. “Thanks.” I then took a deep breath and let my mind drift as I felt my girl’s fingers continue to caress my hair. As I felt myself start to drift off I could hear a gentle tune being hummed by an equally gentle voice…

I abruptly sat up with a strangled shout. “AH!!”

“Tomoya! What’s wrong?”

I reached up to scratch an itch on my face only for my hand to come away wet. “What the-!”

“Hey nii-san; you okay?” I barely made out Amane’s voice.

I was far from ‘okay’; for some reason, my heart hurt really badly, and it was getting worse. “Ow….” I grunted as my hand found my chest.

“Okazaki-senpai, do we need to call an ambulance?!”

“Just…STOP!” I yelled, waving my free hand as I tried to figure out what was going on; all I knew was that I was about to fall asleep when I suddenly felt sadness, stronger than I’d ever felt before. “Wh-What’s wrong with me?!”

“You were fine, then you suddenly sat up, really upset,” Rie said with a worried look.

It was getting to be too much; being sad and crying in front of girls was really embarrassing. “I’m sorry…I’ve got to go!” I bolted to my feet as the sadness overwhelmed me, and the tears flowed as I bolted down the stairs and out the door and through the gates and down the hill, wiping my eyes as the tears refused to stop flowing. “Damn it!”

I finally got home and slammed my way in, rushing up the stairs to drop to my knees in the middle of my room.

As the sadness shook my entire body, an image came to mind; an attractive young woman, with long, wavy blue hair, soft, gentle blue eyes, and a kind, loving voice that sang to my very soul.

“M-Mom...my?”


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Tomoya**

My eyes slowly opened to nothing but brown. I blinked several times, wondering where I was until I realized that I was staring at the floor of my bedroom. I grunted as my muscles, stiff from lying face-down on the floor, hurt as I pushed myself up to find a wet spot on the carpet; I wiped my mouth and my hand came away wet.

I rubbed at my eyes and grimaced at the amount of sand I ended up wiping away. My nose itched and, when I scratched it, flakes came off of it as well. My tummy felt empty, too.

I went downstairs and ate…something. All I could think about was the pretty lady with the wavy blue hair and gentle voice.

_Mommy…_

I went back up to my room and collapsed on my bed.

***

I woke up and realized that the light looked different from before. My tummy felt empty, too.

I went downstairs and ate…something. All I could think about was the pretty lady with the wavy blue hair and gentle voice.

_Mommy…_

I went back up to my room and collapsed on my bed.

***

I woke up and realized that it was almost dark. My tummy felt empty, too.

I went downstairs and ate…something. All I could think about was the pretty lady with the wavy blue hair and gentle voice.

_Mommy…_

I went back up to my room and collapsed on my bed.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Tomoya**

I woke to light streaming through my window and groaned, rubbing my head as I sat up in bed. My arms and legs felt like lead, my muscles protesting as I tried to get out of bed; I must have not gotten enough sleep last night.

…last night…

I thought back to the previous day and felt…weird; all I could remember was eating and sleeping while thinking about…Mommy-er, my mom. My mom? “Must’ve hit me hard,” I muttered as I massaged my face and padded to the bathroom for a face-wash.

I thought about the prior day as I made my way downstairs to make breakfast. Fortunately, whatever shock I’d been feeling must have worn off, because I was able to think more clearly about what had happened.

“Blue hair…” I mumbled through a mouthful of food as I sat at the kotatsu. For some reason, I just knew that it was Mommy-er, Mom. “But how would I know that it’s her?” I thought I remembered seeing pictures of her in photo albums, but the girl in my vision looked so…real. I let my brain work on that problem while I finished breakfast and cleaned up after myself.

Not really feeling like going outside, I plopped down into the chair in front of my desk and leaned back heavily as I crossed my arms. “Okay; I remember running home last night-no, I was a mess yesterday, so it must have been the night before that. I ran home after…” For some reason, I was having a hard time reconstructing the last day of school, and the- “Concert!” I blurted, nearly throwing myself forward onto my desk. “We had a concert!”

It all started to come back to me; the walk with Sugisaka, the concerns that she wouldn’t be up to singing, talking to my teacher to get out early, setting up for the concert… “But why would that upset me?” I asked, then shook my head. “No, it’s got to be something else.” I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair again, letting myself go back to the last day of school…setting up for the concert, talking with my teachers, dealing with the Chorus Club’s new fanbase-

A twinge of…something; it felt weird, like my heart and my mind were disconnected from each other, one remembering something while the other wouldn’t…or couldn’t. I forced myself to focus. “Okay. After the signing, everybody left except for Rie, Amane and Harada.” A fog began to settle in my brain, like part of me didn’t want me to remember. “I-”

A knock at the door interrupted my musings; fortunately, I had it together enough to be polite, and I slapped myself on the cheeks as I jogged down the stairs. “Just a minute, please…” I ran my fingers through my hair one last time before opening the door. “Good af…ter…”

The front porch was empty.

I looked around, trying to see who might have knocked, but the street was also empty, which made sense; people would either be at work or, if they were students, enjoying the mall or something like that. After all, my neighborhood wasn’t exactly a prime hangout location. “Must have been my imagination,” I decided as I started to close the door. As I did, though, I noticed something flapping against the outside of the door. Since I couldn’t remember putting anything there, it caught my attention.

I pulled the sheet from the door to examine it; it appeared to be a handwritten note, taped to the door, and my eyes were drawn to my name at the top of the note:

 

_Dearest Tomoya,_

_Are you okay? I haven’t slept well, thinking that I’d hurt you somehow, so I’m giving you this note to tell you how sorry I am. I hope that you can tell me what I’ve done so I can apologize more properly._

_I love you so much, and don’t want anything to come between us._

_Love,  
Rie_

 

I marveled at how a piece of paper could punch me in the gut. “Aw, Rie…” I murmured, smiling for the first time in what seemed like forever; what a sweet girl who I didn’t deserve. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, cutie, but I’ll figure it out.” I closed the door again and made my way back to the stairs, reading her note over and over again as I climbed back up to my room. Entering my room, I plopped into my chair again and read the note one last time before putting it to the side and crossing my arms as I leaned back again. “All right; where was I?”

I hadn’t gotten very far back into my musings when there was another knock at the door. “Jeez, is it usually this busy when I’m at school or something?” I grumbled as I hurried down the stairs again.

This time there was an actual person on my doorstep, specifically Koumura-sensei. In his hands were a couple of books. “Good morning, Tomoya-san.”

“G-good morning, sensei,” I stuttered, forgetting to call him ‘old man’. “Is something wrong?”

“Are you ready for your lessons?”

“Huh?”

He gestured to me with the books he was carrying. “We had discussed lessons for you over the summer; do you remember?”

I vaguely did, so I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Hmm. After conferring with the other staff and faculty, it was decided that I would come and tutor you as much as possible over the summer.”

I blinked as the memory returned. “Yeah, I remember Rie and I talking with you about it, but…I’m sorry; I’ve had a really rough couple of days, so I’m not up to it today. I’m…really sorry.”

“Hm.” He studied me for a moment longer, and then I had to quickly step aside as he shuffled his way into my home. He made his way over to my kotatsu and, after setting the books down on it, settled himself down in front of it. “May I have some tea?”

I blinked, surprised by his boldness. “S-Sure,” I replied lamely as I headed to the kitchen. “Just…give me a few minutes.”

As I heated the pot I had to suppress a chuckle but couldn’t hold back the smile; something about the whole situation seemed…surreal, with an old man forcing his way into my home.

A few minutes later I set a steaming cup in front of him. “Here you go, sensei.”

“Ah, thank you,” he grunted before lifting the cup to his mouth. “Ahhhh, this is quite good! Now then, I have brought first-year math and science to begin with; they are closely related, so it would be best do study them in tandem.”

“Okay.”

He worked with me for the next couple of hours; most of the stuff I already knew, but I kinda enjoyed the refresher and it helped fill some gaps in my understanding.

“Let us take a break,” he sighed as he bookmarked the science book and closed it. “It is lunch time after all.”

“Okay.”

He stared at me for several seconds before he spoke again. “Are you going to offer lunch to your guest, Tomoya-san?”

“Huh?” The truth was, I hadn’t given it any thought. From the time I had opened the door, time had flown with the sudden intrusion and the tea and the lessons. “Um…sure, but…I don’t know how to cook.”

He gave me what appeared to be a disapproving look. “Young man, if you are going to function in the adult world, it is past time you learned how to fend for yourself. Or do you intend to treat Nishina-chan as your personal chef?”

My stomach slithered to my shoes. “N-No, sir!”

“Well then!” He clapped his hands on his knees before grunting his way to his feet. “Come with me; I will teach you how to…be creative,” he finished with a wink and a smile, which I returned.

He shuffled into the kitchen and quickly found some rice, fish, and vegetables. “Were I not here, what would you eat for lunch?” he asked as the rice steamed.

I thought about it for a minute, then felt sheepish. “I’d…probably go to the convenience store and buy something.”

“Hmph,” he grunted as turned back to the stove. “Wasting your money like that…what I am making here could be lunch for both of us for the next two to three days.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I kept my mouth shut.

When the food was ready we served it up into bowls and took them to the kotatsu. After settling in, I immediately picked up my chopsticks and looked up to see Koumura with his hands together and his eyes closed…well, one eye closed; the other was giving me another disapproving look, so I set my chopsticks back down and put my hands together. “Thanks for the food,” I said along with him.

We didn’t talk during the meal, which was fine with me; I was still trying to put myself together after my breakdown, and trying to keep it together with my old teacher there was really draining my energy.

After lunch, we went back to studies; even though I had a hard time focusing, I was grateful for the distraction from my troubles.

“Well done, Tomoya-san,” Koumura-sensei said as he closed the math book. “You seem to have retained more than I thought.”

“Um, thanks?” I wasn’t sure if he was giving me a compliment or not. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier; I wasn’t expecting you, and…”

“You are upset by something,” he declared simply. At my look of surprise he smiled softly. “I can see it in your eyes, young man; you have seen something that haunts your thoughts.”

“B-But-”

“Do you have a message that you would like me to give Nishina-chan? She has been deeply worried about you.”

“H-How-”

“She came to me as I was on my way here and asked about you. Regrettably, I was unable to give her an answer. Would you like me to pass a message along?”

I looked down at my hands folded in my lap. “Just…for now…tell her it’s not her fault.” I looked up at him with a humorless smile. “Knowing her, she’s been blaming herself for this.”

“Indeed she has. She is a very kind and…sensitive girl,” he finished while giving me a meaningful look.

“That’s true, but…how do you know? You seem to know a lot about her.”

“I am the advisor to the Chorus Club,” he grunted as he got to his feet. “And the one who introduced her to singing.”

I remembered Amane telling me about that; it seemed like a lifetime ago, though. “That’s right…you did, didn’t you? I didn’t know you were our advisor, though.”

His bushy eyebrows jumped. “’Our’?”

“Yeah,” I said, grinning sheepishly. “I…kinda…joined a while ago.”

“Hmmm.” He studied me for a moment longer before seeming to catch himself. “Would you hand me my books, please? Getting down again to retrieve them is not an option at my age.”

“Sure.” I quickly bent down and grabbed the books, handing them to him as I straightened.

“Thank you.” He turned and shuffled toward the door. As he slipped his shoes on, though, he paused, looking at me with an unreadable expression. “What is bothering you, Tomoya-san?”

“It’s nothing, sir,” I sighed, shaking my head. “I’ve just had dreams about my mommy…or, at least I think she’s my mom…my…” My face heated up as I realized I had done it again; saying her name like I was a little kid.

If he caught my slip-up he apparently didn’t notice, though I did see his eyebrows jump again, if only slightly. “That’s right; your mother died when you were quite young; is that correct?”

I nodded, not trusting my words.

“Hmmm…” He started to slip on his shoes, though more slowly than before. “Have you ever seen any pictures of her?”

I had to think for a minute. “I think so, but it’s been a long time if I have. I can’t remember ever seeing them.”

“Hm.” A shorter one this time. “Perhaps it is time for you to look at those pictures again.”

“I…Sure, but I don’t know where they are.”

He smiled affably as he patted me on my good shoulder. “I’m sure there’s someone who could help you find them.”

“You mean Rie?”

His smile turned amused. “Not who I had in mind, but I suppose she could search with you.” He finished putting his shoes on, and I opened the door for him. “Have a pleasant evening, Tomoya-san; I will see you tomorrow at…will ten-o-clock be acceptable?”

I nodded, only half-hearing his question as I tried to figure out who he was talking about.

He was halfway down the road before I reentered my home, and then it hit me. “No way…I’m not ready to talk to him.”

***

I caught myself staring at the top of the kotatsu when I heard the front door click and, a few moments later, my dad shuffled through the front door. I couldn’t remember a time when I had seen him come home; normally I would be with Sunohara or prowling around the neighborhood. “Hey, uh…Dad.”

He turned from shutting the door, and his eyes widened when he saw me. “Ah! Tomoya-kun! It’s good to see you again.”

I shoved my temper back into its bottle as I stood up and made my way over to him. “Thanks. Listen…do we have any pictures of mommy-of mom?”

His eyes narrowed slightly, and I noticed that his mouth tensed, becoming a thin line. “We…do have some photos, yes. Why?”

“I’ve…” I sighed; I knew I would sound like an idiot, but… “I think I‘ve been seeing her in my dreams or something. I know it sounds stupid, but it’s driving me crazy and messing up my sleep again.”

He grunted as he fought with one of his shoes. “We have a couple of photo albums; I would be willing to get them for you.”

“Thanks,” I said carefully; since I couldn’t tell what he was feeling but was sure that he was feeling pain, I tried to keep my own feelings in check. “S-Sorry to bring her up.”

To my surprise, his expression softened. “It’s okay. It’s understandable that you would be curious; she’s your mother, after all.”

“Thanks,” I repeated, warmed by his response. “I really appreciate it.”

He simply nodded as he slipped on his indoor shoes and headed for the stairs. As he started up, my eyes were drawn to the foot of the stairs, and I remembered watching him the other night, moaning and tearing up in his sleep; he must have really loved r and really missed her, and I felt bad that what I was doing could end up reopening wounds that had never really healed.

He returned a few minutes later with a couple of thick books in his hands. I cringed as he wiped a hand across the top of the stack, sending dust flying. “I…haven’t looked at them in a while,” he explained with an awkward smile as he held them toward me. “Here they are.”

“Thanks,” I replied as I took them from him. “Should…I look at them in my room?”

“No,” he replied simply. “I’ll be turning in soon anyway, so you can look at them down here if you want.”

We stood looking at each other for a little longer before he cleared his throat, wiped his hands on his pants, and headed up the stairs.

I watched him leave before adjusting my gaze to the books in my hands.  In them were pictures of mommy-of mom. Why did I keep doing that? “She’s mom,” I insisted, shaking my head as I settled down next to the kotatsu for some serious viewing.

I took the topmost book, assuming it was the older one, and flipped it open to the first page…and gasped. “M-Mommy?”

The first page was filled with wedding photos. I recognized Dad, of course, but what surprised me was his bride. The wavy blue hair, the soft eyes… “She’s…just like the girl in my dreams…”

The following pages had more wedding photos, followed by what I assumed was their first apartment, then…

“Hey, that’s gotta be me,” I chuckled as I saw a picture of them, the blue-haired girl holding a baby. What struck me, though, was that neither of them were looking at the camera; both of them were looking at the baby. The looks on their faces…

the image suddenly warped

“Huh?” I brought my hand to my eyes, only for it to come back wet. “Right,” I chuckled, then refocused on the photo. The looks on my parents’ faces told me how much they loved me. “And look what I turned into…” I said, feeling guilty. “Mommy’s death must have hit us both really hard.”

“Very hard,” a heavy voice came from behind me, and I turned to find Dad standing at the bottom of the stairs. “It was like turning off a light; all of the light left our home.”

“Uh, sorry,” I grunted, hurrying to my feet. “Do you want me to take this upstairs?”

He didn’t answer, but came over to the kotatsu and sat next to where I had been sitting. He slid the album to his spot and, as I settled back into my spot, turned back to the first page and stared, his expression unreadable.

I just sat and watched him as he looked through the pages that I had spent the last several minutes looking at myself. “I haven’t looked at these in a long time,” he said, apparently to himself.

“How long?” I asked quietly, carefully.

“Huh?” His head jerked up and his eyes widened as though he had forgotten I was there before quickly settling down again, returning his gaze to the album. “Um…I don’t know anymore. Years.”

“How come?”

A flicker of annoyance crossed his face but, to my relief, it quickly softened. “I don’t know if you’ll understand this, but…it’s just too painful.”

“You miss her really badly, huh?”

He nodded like a man who had given up. “I don’t think I’ll ever recover.”

“What did you like about her?” I asked without thinking.

“Huh?”

I had come this far, so… “What did you like about her?”

His face seemed to light up, and as he started to talk I had a feeling that things were going to be better between us from that moment on.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Tomoya**

I groaned as I reached over to smack my alarm clock. I didn’t really blame it for being so loud; it was just doing its job, after all.

I rolled out of bed and padded to the bathroom. Koumura-sensei would be showing up at exactly 10-o-clock to tutor me, just as he had for the last couple of weeks, and I wanted to be ready for him.

After splashing cold water on my face, I looked at my reflection in the mirror; I looked like I had aged ten years in the span of a few days. “Great,” I grumbled. “With the way I’m going, I’ll ready for retirement before I even finish high school.”

As I worked on making breakfast for myself, I thought about Rie. Other than her note of apology I hadn’t heard anything from her. Was she talking with Koumura-sensei? Had she given up on me? I paused in stirring the pot as that thought started to take hold. “No way; not after what happened at the picnic would she quit like that.”

But did she think that I’d given up on her? “I don’t think so,” I mused. “We’re too close, too conn-”

_*knock knock knock*_

I wondered who would be stopping by so early as I quickly wiped my hands before heading to the door

I opened it to find Gouda on my front porch. “Good morning, Okazaki,” he greeted with his characteristic bow.

“G-Good morning,” I managed to reply. “How did you know where-”

“Tomoya-kun; good morning,” Kotomi greeted, stepping out from behind him. “I hope the morning finds you well.”

“H-Hey,” I managed to reply. “Thanks. It’s good to see you two, but…what are you doing here?”

They shared a glance before Gouda spoke. “Nishina-san has been very worried about you.”

“You’ve seen her?”

A nod. “We gathered the day after the concert with the intent to celebrate, but when she showed up by herself…” He spread his hands with an apologetic look.

That would have been before I found her note. “How…How much do you know?” I asked nervously. “What did she tell you?”

“Just that you left suddenly, and seemed to be very sad,” Kotomi answered. “She wanted to blame herself, but we did not think that she was at fault.”

“It would be strange for you to act like that without a good reason,” Gouda said. “Besides, you two are very close; I saw that at the picnic. I think if she did something that upset you, you would have gone to her to give her the chance to make amends.”

“You’re not wrong,” I admitted. “Have you seen her lately? Like, in the last day or two?”

“She…” Kotomi hesitated before exchanging another glance. “We told her that we would be visiting you today and she wanted to come along, but…”

“She’s not sure what you think of her right now,” Gouda finished. “If you have anything you’d like her to know, you can tell us and we will pass it along to her.”

“Tell her it’s not her fault,” I told them; that part was easy enough. “As far as what really happened…I’d like to keep that to myself for now; it’s kind of embarrassing.”

“We understand,” Kotomi replied with a slight bow. “If it helps with your investigation, she told us that she was humming while stroking your hair when you…reacted.”

I could feel my face heat up before… “Wait…you said she was humming?”

A simple nod.

“What… Did she tell you what she was humming? Was it a real song or just something she made up?”

“She did not go into that level of detail,” Kotomi said sadly. “I am sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I closed my eyes as I pinched the bridge of my nose. “It might explain why I saw mommy in my dreams…”

“Mommy?” I heard Gouda’s voice exclaim.

I felt the blood drain from pretty much everywhere. “I…”

“Gouda-kun, please don’t make fun of-”

“’Gouda-kun’?!” My eyes snapped open, wide. “That’s it! That’s why I’ve been thinking of her as ‘mommy’ instead of ‘mom’!”

“Tomoya-kun…?”

“Yeah, that!” I nearly yelled, pointing at my childhood friend. “It’s like why you keep using ‘-chan’ and ‘-kun’! My mom died when I was really young, so I would remember her as ‘Mommy’! Your parents died when you were…about eight, right?”

“Okazaki!” Gouda drew himself to his full height. “Please do not bring up her sad memories!”

“G-Gouda-kun!” she cried, blushing.

“You were eight, right?” I pressed.

“I-I was, yes.”

“So it’s like some part of you is stuck ten years in the past, when we would talk to each other using ‘-chan’ and ‘-kun’!”

“O-Okazaki?”

I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and I gave Kotomi a hug before clapping my junior on the shoulder. “That’s gotta be it! Now it all makes sense!”

“I-I’m glad, senpai?”

“Good for you, Tomoya-kun!” Kotomi exclaimed while clapping. Then her expression turned serious. “It would seem that I have some thinking to do as well.”

“K-Kotomi-chan?” Gouda looked to her with a worried expression.

“Please excuse me, Tomoya-kun,” she said with a…heaviness? …to her tone. “I feel…strange. Hanzo-kun; would you please walk me home?”

‘Hanzo-kun’?

“O-Of course. Please excuse us, Okazaki.” He bowed deeply to me. “We are gladdened to see you well, and look forward to your recovery.” He straightened and extended an arm toward my old friend. “D-Do you need my support? I will carry you if needed.”

“It is not necessary, but thank you,” she said softly as she took his arm. “I will speak with you later, Tomoya-kun; I think we will have things to discuss.”

“Y-Yeah,” I replied, nodding dumbly; it was the only thing I could think to do. “Take care, you two.”

As I watched them head away, arm-in-arm, there was only one thought that came to mind: I really missed Rie.

***

I was trying to review my work from my last lesson when there was another knock at the door, and a glance at the clock told me that it was probably my old homeroom teacher, back to tutor me again. “Coming…”

I opened the door and, sure enough, Koumura-sensei stood on the front porch, textbooks in hand. “Good morning, Tomoya-san. Forgive me if I am late.”

“You’re right on time, by my clock,” I said as I stepped aside to let him in. “Can I make you some tea?”

He paused in his entry, and a gentle smile crossed his wizened face. “Yes please, and thank you for offering.”

I helped him settle in, then made my way to the kitchen. “I’ve got some questions about yesterday’s stuff,” I told him as the kettle heated. “Can I ask them before we get to today’s stuff?”

“Certainly,” he replied. “You could ask them now, if you want.”

“I’ll need to show you the problems I’m having problems with,” I explained.

“Understood.”

I finished making tea for both of us, and set them on the kotatsu. We then went over the questions I had about the math and science he had taught me yesterday.

“All right, that makes sense,” I said as we finished up with my last question, and I leaned back, propping myself up with one hand while pinching the bridge of my nose with the other. “I guess I was just making it harder than it was.”

“That is not unusual,” Koumura-sensei said, but I sensed that he meant more to it than just about math. “It’s very easy to make things too difficult.”

“Easy to make things difficult…” I chuckled. “It makes sense, but it sounds kinda funny.”

“At least it is easier to remember,” he noted. “You have found it humorous, so you are not as likely to forget, right?”

“True,” I replied, still amused.

“Now, are you ready for today’s lesson?”

“Nope,” I replied. “Let’s do it.”

For some reason, I felt a warmth when my old teacher chuckled. “Very well, Tomoya-san,” he said as he opened one of the books he’d brought with him. “Today is history and English…but I suppose you’ve had some practice with the latter, haven’t you?” he finished, a smile creeping across his face.

“What do you mean?”

He gestured to me. “Well, you’ve been doing all that research into songs for the Chorus Club, haven’t you? Are you going to tell me that you learned nothing from all that?”

I straightened up with a blink. “I hadn’t thought of that. I guess…maybe I did pick up a word here and there.”

His smile broadened as he turned the book toward me. “Well, young man, let’s see how much you picked up.”

The next hour was pretty hard, but not as brutal as I thought it would be. The way sentences were put together in English was very different from the way we did it in Japan, but I got the sense that Koumura-sensei had dealt with students like me before, because he made learning really easy.

“So, the chicken is the subject of the sentence, and the road is the object?” I asked, glancing over at my tutor, who nodded.

“Yes. Despite the dissimilar sentence structure, you can see that the chicken is the one doing the crossing, while the road is what is being crossed,” he explained.

I briefly fought back a feeling of despair at how much I had missed due to being a delinquent. “All right, I think I get it. I’ll need some time to sort all this out, but I think I get it.”

“You have actually understood more than I expected this early in our lessons,” he remarked as he closed the English book and reached for what I assumed was the history book. “Well done, young man.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you ready for history?”

“Could we break for lunch?” I asked, pointing at the clock. “It’s getting pretty close to noon.”

“Very well.”

“Would you like to stay for lunch?” I offered with an impish grin.

He snorted with a shake of his head; offering him lunch had become something of an inside joke. “Thank you Tomoya-san, yes I would.”

I headed into the kitchen and took a box of leftovers from the refrigerator.

“You seem to be in good spirits today,” he observed.

I paused in my stirring. Was I in a good mood? “I guess I am,” I admitted. “I think I figured something gout this morning.”

“What happened?”

I went back to stirring normally. “Ko…Er, a couple of my friends stopped by earlier to check up on me.”

“Friends?”

I paused again; I had spoken without thinking, but was it really true? I knew that I already considered Kotomi a friend, but Gouda? I hadn’t really thought about it, but… “Yeah. Friends.”

“It was thoughtful of them to check up on you.”

“Yeah, it was,” I mused as I poured the soup into our bowls. “It seems like it’s been forever since I last saw them.”

“In any case, what did you figure out?”

This was going to be embarrassing. “I’ve been thinking of my mom as, um, ‘mommy’ for some reason, but I think I figured out that reason.”

“And that is?”

I set our bowls down on the kotatsu before taking my spot across from him again. “Because that’s how I remember her.”

“How you remember-Ahhhhh! I think I understand!” he exclaimed as we brought our hands together.

I nodded, feeling my face heat up. “I was really young when she died, so what I’ve been seeing in my dreams must’ve been memories from when I was really little.”

“Hmmm,” he intoned, stroking his chin. “That stands to reason.”

“I think that’s also why Kotomi-chan uses childish honorifics. In fact, she made me think of it when she called me ‘Tomoya-kun’ earlier.”

“So she was one of your visitors?”

My spoon paused on its way to my mouth; crap, I was hoping to keep who they were secret. Oh, well… “Yeah, she was one of them.”

“Then Gouda-san must have been the other one…unless there were more.”

I blinked at him in amazement. “How…How did you know?”

He smiled softly. “I came across them out and about; at the time, I did not realize that they were coming to visit you.”

I sighed with a smile and a shake of my head. “Yeah, they stopped by, but they left a little bit before you got here.”

He nodded with a grunt. “It is good to have friends who care, is it not?”

“Yeah…” I stirred my soup as his words sunk in. I’d never really thought about friends. I’d hang out with Sunohara, sure, but that was more because we were both delinquents than due to us having anything in common…other than being delinquents. “Hey old man; why did you put Sunohara and I together, anyway?”

“Hmmm?” His eyebrows raised, and I realized that my question had kinda come out-of-the-blue. “You needed a reason to stay in school.”

“Huh?”

He put his spoon in his bowl and crossed his arms to fix me with his gaze. “I was concerned that, had I not introduced you to each other, you both would likely have dropped out of school, and that would have been no good.”

So, he was taking care of us. “Thanks,” I said, then snorted. “I don’t think our ‘friendship’ will last past high-school, though; being delinquents together seems like it’d be a pretty weak reason to be friends.”

“Perhaps.” He picked up his spoon to slowly stir his soup. “Then again, you both would be interested in how the other does, if for no other reason than for bragging rights.”

I laughed out loud at his remark; he was the last person I’d expect to hear talking about ‘bragging rights’. “Heh…you might be right.” I sobered as I remembered the blond idiot’s ‘myself’ comments. “Though…I really hope he does well later on.”

“There’s that possibility as well,” he said before raising his spoon to his mouth.

I blinked and shook my head, deciding to file the thoughts away for later. “Sorry for talking so much; let’s finish lunch so we can get to…history, right?”

“History, yes,” he confirmed. “But don’t worry about your talking; I have enjoyed learning about you.”

I felt my face heat up but said nothing more as we finished our meal.

***

“Thanks again, old man,” I said as Koumura-sensei put his shoes on. “So… 10 AM tomorrow morning?”

“As ‘AM’ indicates the morning hours, then yes,” he said with an impish smile.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the side of him I’d never seen before. “Okay, I guess it was kinda ‘Captain Obvious’.” I handed him his jacket before waving as he shuffled down the short walkway to the road. “Thanks again, sensei.”

He nodded with a grunt as he turned to make his way down the road, presumably toward home, and I smiled to myself as I closed the door. “What a day…already.”

I cleared the bowls from the kotatsu and took them over to the sink to wash them. I had just picked up the sponge when there was another knock at the door. “Jeez, I’m popular today,” I half-complained as I put the sponge down. After rinsing and drying my hands I headed over to the door. “Good after…noon…”

“Hey, nii-san.” On my front porch stood Amane in a white blouse and light-blue skirt, and it took me a moment to be surprised that Rie and Harada weren’t with her. “You busy right now?”

“Not really. Just cleaning up after lunch. What’s up?”

Her posture shifted just a little, enough for me to recognize her discomfort. “A-Are you going anywhere tonight?”

“Wh-What?” Was she going to ask me on a date or something? And did Rie know? And- “N-No, I’m gonna be here, working on my schoolwork.”

Her expression brightened. “Hey, that’s really cool! Good job!”

“Thanks?” I said, rubbing the back of my head.

She said nothing but stood there, fidgeting as she appeared to study me.

“So…” I said, feeling a little awkward at her intensity, “…was there anything else?”

“Huh?” she squeaked, something unusual for her. “N-No! That was it! See you later-er, have a good day!” With that she turned and headed back toward the road, giving me a very mechanical-looking wave as she left.

I puzzled over her question as well as her behavior as I headed back to the sink. Fifteen minutes later, my nose was buried in studies.

***

I covered my yawn with my hand as I stretched my right arm in front of me as best I could. Because of my shoulder injury, I couldn’t stretch my right arm over my head the way most guys would, so I made do. It worked, in any case. “I’m exhausted…”

I wasn’t really tired in the normal sense; I’d been on my butt for several hours, working on the problems that Koumura-sensei had given me, and those were draining. I checked the clock and realized that I had missed dinnertime by about half an hour. “Well, let’s see what we have…”

I headed downstairs to the kitchen area and started looking for vegetables. I found them, along with some beef, so I started cooking them together as I looked for the rice. We didn’t have a rice cooker, so Dad usually picked up some of the ‘instant’ rice. While I searched I thought about what alternatives I could use if I couldn’t find-

My hand froze in its movement through the pantry; what had gotten into me? When did I start worrying about making something? Couldn’t I just go to the convenience store and buy something? I snorted with a humorless smile as I remembered my old teacher’s words: “… _if you are going to function in the adult world, it is past time you learned how to fend for yourself…”_ My smile turned thoughtful as I found the rice and started to prepare it; maybe I was afraid of growing up? Maybe the loss of my mobility also made me lose my motivation? After all, what else did I have to offer? I tried to not think about this too much as I put my meal together and settled down by the kotatsu.

I finished up my meal and took my plate to the kitchen and washed it. As I headed to the stairs I realized that, in a sense, I was already getting a taste of what living on my own would be like; I made my own meals and set my own hours. I was sure there was more to it than that, but I was starting to take Koumura-sensei’s words to heart. “Well, back to work.”

I headed up the stairs and had just settled into my seat at the desk when…I heard music. I took me a moment, but I felt a smile spread across my face as I recognized the style as… “That’s doo-wop…”

It seemed to be coming from outside, so I crawled onto my bed and looked out the window to see… “Rie…?”

My girlfriend stood just inside the short wall in front of my house. She wasn’t alone, though; Amane, Harada, Reiko and Uematsu were with her.

I opened my window and leaned out enough so she could see me. “Rie? What are you doing here?”

She waved up at me but didn’t answer otherwise, and she turned and pressed a button on a box by her feet. The music stopped, then a new song started, one that I hadn’t heard before. I was a little concerned about them disturbing the neighbors, but decided to keep quiet and see what would happen.

The song started with all five of them harmonizing with ‘Ah’s, but then Rie stepped forward and started to sing:

 _*“Maybe, if I pray every night_  
_You'll come back to me. And_  
_Maybe, if I cry everyday_  
_You'll come back to stay_.  
_Ohhhh, maybe...”*_

I felt the blood draining from my face; was I being serenaded by my own girlfriend? And why was she singing about ‘maybe’? Was she doubting us? I had given her reason to worry, I supposed, since I had run away the way that I did and never talked to her directly.

 _*“I've cried and prayed to the Lord_  
_To send you back, my love_  
_But instead you came to me_  
_But only in my dreams…”*_

Was that really how she felt, or was that just the song’s lyrics? I stayed at my window transfixed as, even as far away as I was, I saw her eyes glistening in the dimming light. “Rie…I’m sorry…”

The song eventually ended, but Rie kept her gaze on me, and I couldn’t take it anymore; I leaped from my bed and hurried down the stairs, nearly losing my footing, and quickly slid on my outdoor shoes before slamming my way out the front door.

I found her exactly where she had been during her song; I noticed that the other girls weren’t with her. “H-Hey,” I greeted somewhat lamely as I stopped in front of her.

“Hey,” she replied quietly, her face downturned.

“How…How’ve things been going?” I asked, not sure what else to say.

“Tomoya…” She looked up, and my heart hurt at the sight of tears in her eyes. “I’ve missed you so much. I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but…”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “It all happened so quickly, that-”

“What happened, Tomoya?” she demanded, grabbing my hands and fixing me with her gaze. “Even thought nee-san and Gouda-san have told me that you said it’s not my fault, I can’t help but think that it is!”

I sighed, allowing an awkward smile to creep across my face. “Rie? What were you humming just before I…ran away?”

“Huh?" She blinked. “I was…singing a lullaby. I thought it’d be cute and you’d find it funny. I didn’t think it would hurt you.”

“It didn’t,” I replied, the last few pieces finally falling into place. “Rie…the truth is…I think it reminded me of my mom.”

Another blink. “R-Really?”

“Yeah,” I grunted, releasing one of her hands to rub the back of my neck. “See, I’ve been having dreams or visions or something of a young woman with wavy blue hair. After looking in my dad’s photo album, I realized it was her. You humming me to sleep might have reminded me of her.”

“You really miss her, don’t you?” she asked with compassion in her voice.

I blew air noisily though my lips as I took her hands again. “You know, if you asked me that a few weeks ago, I probably would have said ‘I don’t know’. But now that I’ve had these dreams…or memories…” My chest tightened as I felt the pain of loss again. “…yeah. Yeah, I miss her a lot.”

She let go of one of my hands to rest her hand on my cheek. “I’m sorry that I caused you pain, but I’m glad that some good came from it.”

“Yeah. Yeah, it did,” I grunted, feeling the pressure behind my eyes again. “I feel like a wreck, but I also feel…more whole? Complete?”

“You got part of your life back,” she observed.

I had to nod to that. “Yeah…I think you’re right.”

“Tomoya…?”

“Yeah, Rie?”

The next thing I knew, my girlfriend had pressed herself into me, wrapping her arms around me; I could feel her trembling against me. “I…I’ve missed you so much.”

I looked down at her for a moment, then smiled. “I’ve missed you, too. I’m sorry for running away like that.”

“I u-understand,” she sniffed, rubbing her nose against me as she shook her head. “Can…Can we go back to the way things were?”

I placed my hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away. “No. Our relationship will never be the same again.”

A shuddering breath. “Wh-What do you mean?”

I smiled again as I leaned down toward her, stopping just millimeters from her lips. “It’ll be better from now on; I promise.”

I had planned to kiss her after that but she beat me to it, throwing her arms around my neck to nearly mash her lips against mine.

***

I waved as she headed for home, stopping only when she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. As I turned to go back into the house I saw what looked like a snowflake falling from the sky. It was weird seeing a snowflake in the summer, but what was weirder was that it seemed to be falling toward me. I reached out to catch it, but instead of landing on my hand and melting like part of me expected it to, it…disappeared…into my hand, and a warmth spread though my whole body.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Nishina Rie (Epilogue)**

I thrust my hands into my pockets as I trudged down the sidewalk toward the park. The mornings had been getting cooler, signaling the coming end of summer, and I was really feeling it; hence, the trudging. At least I knew the rest of the day would be warmer.

The last month had been kinda crazy. Other than meeting up with Rie again I had pretty much shut myself up in my home, looking at the photo albums over and over again, letting myself cry when I felt like it, laugh when I felt like it, and rage when I felt like it. My old homeroom teacher was still helping me catch up with my first- and second-year classes, but we had also ended up talking about…well, other things. Like my mom’s death and the way I got along with my dad. I wasn’t sure how much talking to him was really helping, but I had noticed that I was starting to feel a lot better. I must have been bottling up a lot of hurt feelings for a long time, because it felt really good to let them go.

I felt myself relax, my face breaking into a smile as I saw Rie waiting for me by the entrance to the park, bag in hand. She looked really cute in her light blue dress with white…trim, I think it was called. “Good morning, Tomoya,” she greeted.

“Morning,” I returned, taking my hands from my pockets to offer her an arm as I reached with the other to take the bag. “You look pretty this morning.”

“Th-Thank you,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper as she wrapped her arms around mine. “I wanted to look nice for you.”

“You sure succeeded,” I said, then enjoyed the blush that spread across her face as I leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for, uh…thinking of me.”

All she could do was nod meekly as we entered the park. “How…How are you feeling?” she asked when she got her voice back.

“A lot better, thanks,” I said warmly. “Sorry for bailing on you for the last month.”

She sent her lovely hair waving with the shake of her head, and I had to resist its hypnotic effect; I really missed that. “It’s okay; I understand. You explained it very well in your note, so it’s no problem.”

I gave her a squeeze as we made our way over toward the other members of the Chorus Club, and my eyes widened as I saw how many blankets had been spread out. “Wow, I didn’t know we had so many people in the club.”

“You’re right,” Rie giggled. “I’ve never thought to count them, but…” she looked around with an expression of awe. “…there sure are a lot.”

“And it looks like you’re planning another concert,” I smirked, noticing the sound system that someone had set up. Where were they getting the power for it, thou-

“Tomoya-kun!” A happy voice interrupted my musing, and we both looked to see Kotomi waving at us from one of the many blankets; sharing the blanket with her was Gouda. “Come sit with us!”

My girl and I smiled at each other before heading over to the other couple. “Hey, Kotomi,” I greeted. “It’s been a while.”

“It has, indeed,” she replied as Gouda nodded. Lowering her voice she asked, “How have your…sessions…with Koumura-sensei been going?”

“Fine,” I grunted, feeling a little awkward as I carefully placed Rie’s bag on the blanket. “He’s helped me work through a lot of…stuff.”

“I am happy for you, senpai,” Gouda intoned with a sincere smile.

“Thanks,” I grunted again, feeling even more awkward. Other than Rie and I, he and Kotomi were the only ones who knew about my ‘counseling’ sessions with the old man. “I’m happy for me, too.”

We shared a chuckle as Rie and I finished unpacking our lunch. “It must feel good not being weighed down with so much grief,” Gouda observed.

“Yeah, it does feel good to get a load off. So…how’s the Chorus Club been doing?” I asked, desperately wanting to change the subject. “It didn’t fall apart while I was out of commission, I hope?”

“It hasn’t,” Rie giggled, drawing my attention. “I just didn’t want to burden you with our problems while you were dealing with your own.”

“But for a whole month?” I objected. “I would’ve been willing to help if you needed me.”

“We know you would have,” Kotomi said. “But…you needed the time for…for you.”

“Huh?”

“You needed this time, Tomoya,” Rie said. “You’ve been through so much and helped so many people that-” She blushed as she seemed to catch herself. “The Chorus Club has been fine, but everyone’s been looking forward to having you back.”

“Everyone?” I suddenly felt self-conscious, and I looked around and noticed that the other members kept looking toward the four of us with smiles. Were they smiling at me? I found Kawahara, who was sitting far enough away that it would be rude to yell, but not so far that he couldn’t wave at me with a huge smile as well. But maybe the smile was because of… “Hey, who’s the girl with Kawahara?”

Gouda glanced over his shoulder before smirking. “She’s one of his fans…and his girlfriend.”

“Seriously?” I narrowed my eyes for a better look, and I realized that she was the one who had been pressing the sheet against his chest at the impromptu autographing session. “Huh. Good for him, I guess.”

“She confessed to him a couple of weeks ago,” Gouda said. “When our group was leaving the clubroom to work on one of our songs, she blurted it out as he came out the door.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Confessions can come under strange circumstances, I guess.”

“Indeed,” Kotomi agreed as she gazed at me, and my smile faded as I remembered the ‘strange circumstances’ around the start of my relationship with Rie.

“Is something wrong, Kotomi?” Gouda asked worriedly.

‘Kotomi’?

She blinked, then gave him a kind smile as she patted his knee. “It is nothing to worry about, Hanzo….”

‘Hanzo’?

“…I was just remembering…” Her smile faded slightly, but only briefly. “I will tell you about it another time. Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

“Hey, Gouda!” I jerked in mild surprise at the new voice, and looked up to see Kawahara standing by our blanket, his girlfriend with him. “Ready to go? We’re up!”

“Yeah!” the bass exclaimed, leaping to his feet before bowing to my old friend. “Please excuse me; I am needed.”

“Do your best,” Kotomi said with what appeared to be an excited smile. I’d never seen her smile like that before, and I was glad that she had found something – or someone – who could cause that kind of smile. “I will be watching.”

He jerked his head once in a nod, his face red, before quickly following his lead singer to the microphones.

Once he was far enough away, I gave Kotomi by best impish look. “’Hanzo’?”

“You did not know?” she asked, angling her head. “Oh, of course not; you were…busy.”

“A lot has happened in the last month,” Rie remarked.

“Hanzo and I are now a couple,” Kotomi announced, and I could have sworn she sat up even straighter than usual. “He proposed the change to our relationship approximately two weeks ago, and I accepted.”

“’Change to our relationship’…” I snorted, then realized: “Hey, that’s about the same time as Kawahara’s girlfriend. Interesting coincidence.”

“She was actually inspired by Gouda-san, if I understand correctly,” Rie said as she took my hand. “She was afraid that someone else would get to him first.”

I looked over at the performance area, where Kawahara was rubbing the back of his head as his girlfriend straightened his collar, her face aglow. “Good for him…for them, really.”

“At first, we were worried that she would…” Rie paused, and a look at her face told me she was trying to find the right words. “…take over his life?”

“According to what I have read, we women tend to try to run our men’s lives once we enter into a relationship with them…without meaning to, that is,” Kotomi added. “Because of this knowledge, I am endeavoring to be a support and to avoid being a burden to Hanzo.” She blushed lightly. “I wish to see how far he can go and support him in his efforts to the best of my ability.”

I reflexively thought of Kyou, and her domineering personality. “That’s…amazing…assuming I understood a word you said. You want to walk by his side rather than lead him on a leash?”

She noticeably paled. “That…could be one way of looking at it.”

“A leash…” Rie said quietly, and I looked down to find her nibbling on her lip. “Tomoya, do you feel like I have you on a leash?”

“Me?” I shrugged. “Not as far as I can tell.”

She suddenly leaned toward me with an intense look in her eyes that was almost intimidating. “Tomoya, please, please tell me if I get…get overbearing or something. I want to be here for you. I want to live life with you, not run it for you.”

I faltered, unsure of what to say. So I just reached out and caressed her face. “I don’t know what to say other than ‘Thanks, Rie’.” I sighed. “If I feel like you’re trying to run my life, I’ll let you know…without hurting you. Will that work?”

She straightened to cover my hand with hers. “Thank you, Tomoya.”

“I’ll do my best to do right by you, too,” I added.

A smile finally graced her face. “It makes me very happy to hear you say-”

* _“Gloooooriiiiaaaaaa…”_ *

Any further conversation was interrupted by Kawahara’s group, and Rie and I shared a smile before snuggling together to watch his group perform.

***

After Gouda’s group finished their set, we unpacked our lunches and started eating.

“Did anything else change during my exile?” I asked jokingly as Takahashi performed.

“Tomoya…” Rie giggled. “Well, the Chorus Club and the Theater Club are working together on a musical.”

I blinked. “A musical? How’d you get that set up in the middle of summer break?”

Rie looked over at Kotomi, who blushed. “Nee-san came up with the idea.”

“That’s right…” I said, pointing at my childhood friend, “…you’re part of the Theater Club, too, aren’t you?”

Kotomi ducked her head meekly. “I felt bad for Nagisa-chan and wanted to help her, so I did some research and discovered the concept of the ‘musical’. From there, I thought that a collaboration between the two clubs would be mutually beneficial.”

I gave myself a moment to process her words. “So the Chorus Club met during the summer? And everyone was for it?”

“Surprisingly, yes,” my girl confirmed, nodding. “Many of us like the idea of acting, but…”

“They didn’t want to join a small club like that? Is that it?”

It was Rie’s turn to duck her head. “I’m just glad that Furukawa-senpai’s happy, now.”

“Is she here?” I asked, starting to look around.

“Okazaki-san!” I looked up to see Furukawa heading our way, a bright smile on her face. “Isn’t this wonderful, seeing all our friends together, having fun?”

I chuckled at her excitement. “I wouldn’t say they’re all my friends, but yeah,” I said, looking around. “It is pretty neat seeing them all having fun like this.”

“Thank you so much for your idea!” Furukawa gushed as she knelt next to Kotomi on the blanket to give her a hug. “I’m really looking forward to the start of school, now that we’ll be working together again.”

As she continued to gush over my old friend, I leaned over to Rie and whispered: “You did decide this, right? Nobody strong-armed you, did they?”

“No,” she giggled softly as she shook her head. “Nee-san brought her proposal to me first, and I agreed. We then presented it to the rest of the club, and they were all excited about it.”

“So you talked to Furukawa after that, then?”

A nod. “I wish you could have seen the look on Furukawa-senpai’s face when we suggested it. She was so excited, she had to excuse herself to the bathroom.”

My laugh must have been pretty loud, because it drew the attention of our seatmates. “Is everything okay, Okazaki?” Gouda asked.

“Sorry, Rie just told me something funny,” I admitted; it was the truth, after all.

“Okazaki-san?” Apparently Furukawa was done with my old friend, because her sparkling eyes were on me again. “Could I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

She cast several anxious glances over at my girl friend. “A-Alone? We-We won’t go very far away!” she squeaked, waving her hands. “It’s kinda…personal, and I’d like it to be private, if that’s all right.”

I looked over at my girl. “Would you be okay with it? We could talk over there, where you could see us,” I said, pointing to a tree not too far away.

“I…I suppose…” Rie said cautiously.

“Oh please, Nishina-chan?” Furukawa was nearly begging. “I just want to thank him for something, but it’d be too embarrassing to do it in front of people.”

“O-Okay,” Rie said apparently overwhelmed by her senior’s intensity. “Just…please don’t be too long; I’ve missed him so much.”

I gave my girl a quick kiss on the forehead, causing her to giggle as I got to my feet. “Okay, Furukawa; lead the way.”

As we headed over to the tree I watched my former tardy-buddy’s back; for some reason she looked…different to me, like I knew her but didn’t’ really know her. We got to the tree and she turned to face me. She looked nervous, and she had her hands folded in front of her chest. “Okazaki-san? I just…want to thank you…”

“For what?”

She took a deep breath, glancing up at me a couple of times. “Do you remember when we first met? At the bottom of the hill?”

“Yeah,” I said, smiling at the memory. “You seemed like you were trying to psyche yourself up or something like that.”

“Yeah, I was,” she giggled. “But…if it wasn’t for you…” Her face scrunched up, as though she was having trouble finding the words. “…If you hadn’t given me that…that push…”

“Push?”

“Yeah, a push!” she decided, locking her gaze to mine. “Remember? I needed a reason to go to school, and you gave me one.”

“I did?”

She nodded vigorously. “You told me to find something new to enjoy, a new reason to go. I was so busy living in the past and upset over what I’d lost that I would have missed out on so much!”

I wasn’t sure what to say, and it sounded like she wasn’t done, so I just listened.

“Starting up the Theater Club, making new friends with Kyou-san and Ryou-san and Kotomi-chan…” she took a step closer to me, and I had to fight the urge to step back. “I would have never done that if you hadn’t given me the push!”

“Well, you could have…” I said, scratching the back of my neck, “…but I think I get what you mean.”

“So…” Apparently she’d lost her nerve; she was looking at the ground again. “…thank you very much, Okazaki-san.”

“You’re…welcome?” I felt kinda awkward about the whole thing. “I really don’t think I did much, but...I’m glad if I helped.”

She giggled behind her hand. “You’re so funny sometimes…but that’s one of the things I like about you.”

“Thanks,” I said, then it hit me: “O-One of the things?”

“Eh?” She froze, and it was interesting to see her face slowly redden as she looked up at me again, this time with wide eyes. “N-Nothing! It was nothing! Th-Thank you very much!” With that, she turned and ran back toward the sea of blankets.

I slowly made my way back to Rie and the others, wondering if I’d heard her correctly.

“Are you okay?” Rie asked as I settled back onto our blanket. “You look…confused.”

“Just something she said that surprised me,” I told her. “Nothing to worry about.”

“What did she want to thank you for?” Gouda asked. “I mean, if it’s okay for us to know.”

I shrugged. “It should be fine. She just thanked me for giving her a reason to go to school.”

“What do you mean?” Kotomi asked.

“You know that she’s a repeat student, right?” I said. Three heads shook, and I sighed. “All right; this is her second time as a third-year, so she was having a hard time finding a reason to go to school. Everyone she knew had graduated, so she felt kind of…alone."

“How sad,” Rie said sympathetically. “She must have felt like Urashima Tarou.”

“That’s what she said at the time, too,” I chuckled. I looked around, trying to find her, and saw her just as she was sitting down with the Fujibayashi twins. Wait, why did I think of them as the ‘Fujibayashi twins’?

“Okazaki?” Gouda’s voice interjected. “You’re looking confused again.”

“It’s nothing, it’s just-” What was bothering me? It then that it hit me; I’d grown apart from them. While they’d been doing their theater Club stuff, I’d been caught up in the Chorus Club. Over time, we’d just…grown apart, and the thought saddened me a little. “Just…thinking about how people change over time.”

“Indeed,” Kotomi agreed, drawing my attention in time to see her cover one of her boyfriend’s hands with hers. “I do look forward to working with the Theater Club again, though.”

I felt that parental jealousy as Gouda covered her hand with his, but managed to ignore it.

“So, I’ve got a new song I‘d like to sing,” Kawahara announced through the microphone, drawing our attention. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gouda gave Kotomi a kiss on the cheek before getting to his feet to head over to his lead singer.

“A new song…” Rie breathed. “How exciting.”

“Do you know who found this one?” I asked.

She looked over at me with an affectionate smile. “You did, sort of.”

“Huh?”

“It’s one of the songs you found, but…” She patted my hand. “I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

“Oooookay…”

Once Kawahara’s group gathered and did a quick sound test he spoke again: “This song is dedicated to the two most important people in the Chorus Club…”

My eyebrows jumped; I figured that Rie would have to be one of them, but who would be the other…?

“…Nishina-senpai, the head of the Chorus Club and Okazaki-senpai, the one who found this awesome music for us!”

I felt the blood drain from my face, and my eyes widened as Kawahara motioned for us to stand as everyone clapped and cheered. I looked over to my girl, only to find her already on her feet, her eyes moist as she extended her hand toward me. It was so noisy that I could only see what she was saying: _“Would you dance with me?”_

I smiled in resignation as I took her hand and let her help me to my feet. At the sight of my cheering clubmates I could only rub the back of my neck.

“This one’s by Butler Jerry-san, also known as ‘The Iceman’,” Kawahara said. “Let’s go!”

_*“Your precious love means more to me_  
Than any love could ever be,  
For when I wanted you  
I was so lonely and blue  
For that’s what love will do…”*

My eyes widened as I recognized the song that I’d found a lifetime ago, and I smiled as I took Rie into my arms. I wasn’t much of a dancer, but I was willing to try. And for her ‘precious love’ I would become the best Tomoya I could be.

_Rough Draft complete_


End file.
